Journey
by Ayrlee
Summary: Wyatt is back from the dead, Chris is struggling to comprend three lifetimes, and Phoebe's daughter still hasn't come into her powers. Sequel to Oh Brother... Long but complete in one Chapter.


_Prologue _

Valerie walked slowly down the dark corridor. All around her was blackness, and she reached her hands to feel the walls as a guide. She felt as if her feet were hardly touching the ground, yet something pulled her down this long hall. Ahead in the distance was a sparkle of light and a muffled voice.

"Hello?" she called. Her own voice echoed back to her.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Please?" she called again. All she heard were her own pleas bouncing off the walls back at her.

She was sure she heard voices though, almost positive so she pushed on. Her curiosity was stronger than the cold fear she felt in the pit of her gut. Something deep inside her told her that she must find who the voice belonged to. They were in need of her help. Who were '_they' _though?

Valerie's mind was racing. She couldn't understand what was happening. She was the youngest of the Haliwell line, the daughter of the middle sister, Phoebe. The day her powers were restored she summoned her great grandmother from beyond the grave. She told Valerie that she would come into her powers quickly, but six months later she still had no powers. How could she help these people if she had no power? Where was her mother, her aunts, her cousins?

Someone was behind her. She felt warm, wet breath on her neck but she couldn't turn her head to see who it was. Little beads of sweat formed on her upper lip and she felt her hair sticking to her temples.

"Who's there?" she whispered.

The only response she got was the hot breath once again on the back of her neck. She realized that she wasn't hot until she felt whoever it was behind her. She wanted desperately to turn around and face her stalker, or perhaps to run to where she heard the voices from. She gathered all her strength and turned around but she saw nothing but blackness.

Suddenly she felt something cold on her face. She felt a pressure around her waist and she screamed. She felt pressure on her wrists, her shoulders, and her legs as if she was being restrained. Her body thrashed about, she bucked her narrow hips and squirmed trying to get away from her attackers.

"VALERIE!"

She heard her name. They knew her name? She tried to gather more strength but she failed miserably. She lay limp in the cold dark corridor. She would never get to the voice. She wondered if they needed her, or if she needed them. She wondered if she would ever know.

_**Chapter One**_

Valerie stood in the attic staring at the Book of Shadows. She flipped slowly through the pages studying the different spells, incantations, potions, and charms. She took special care to absorb the facts on the various demons, ghosts, and ghouls that the other Haliwells hadn't vanquished yet. Some day her mother and two aunts would no longer exist on the earthly plane and the role of supernatural superhero would be passed to her and her two cousins; Chris and Wyatt.

Halfway through the book she sighed and gave up. She sat on the sofa in the corner. It was old and musty, but it brought her a certain level of comfort to her for some odd reason. The old springs creaked in protest as she shifted herself into a more comfortable position. She opened both her copy of Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs and her personal journal.

She was jotting down the magical properties of juniper berries when she heard her eldest cousin, Wyatt, coming up the attic stairs. She could tell it was him by his slow, steady, unsure footsteps. Wyatt was new to the magical crime fighting force also. Up until about six months ago, she didn't even know that he existed. Wyatt had been kidnapped and raised by an order called the Avatars that were bent on world domination. His adoptive cousin had stolen Excalibur and later kidnapped her with the intent of making her his queen. Wyatt saved her from him, and they immediately formed a close knit bond.

"You shouldn't read in the dark," he told her waving his hand.

Valerie blinked as her eyes adjusted to the room that was now filled with light.

"Nice trick," she told him, "When did you learn that one?"

Wyatt shrugged and sat down next to her. She studied his face for a moment. He looked concerned and worried. She knew immediately that his source of concern was her. As soon as he returned to the family he was happily surprised to learn that he was indeed a very powerful witch. Magic came easily to him; all he needed to do was think about what he wanted and it would happen. Valerie, however, still had not come into any powers at all. She found herself here in the attic more often than not studying the book for clues as to why.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked him.

"The same thing you are." he replied.

She raised an eyebrow at him. His gleaming blue eyes made him look so much like her Uncle Leo. There was a special understanding softness that only the son of an angel can have that shone through.

"I'm looking for something that I can't find." he told her.

"I'm not _looking_ for anything." she told him, visibly wounded. "I am studying. I want to know about the different creatures we may encounter and how to handle them in any situation. I want to be the best witch I can be."

"The best witch you can be... without powers?" he asked her.

Valerie felt her heart skip and her stomach jump. She didn't want to admit that she felt inferior to him and Chris, but she knew that without any powers she wouldn't be of much use. How she yearned for the days that she spent in Paris with her friends before she was thrown into this. She didn't have a worry in the world, she was in control, and she never felt as if she had to live up to anyone's standards. She was almost to the point of giving up on the whole thing and returning to Europe, but she knew deep down how important being of the Haliwell line was.

"You're trying too hard," he told her.

"Easy for you to say, you just think about conjuring a dragon out of an old movie and it unleashes itself on the city." she accused.

Wyatt laughed. His mother had told them the story over dinner the night before when he accidentally orbed the platter of dinner rolls into his bedroom before they were called to the table. Piper had lectured him on personal gain, but then started laughing when she realized that he hadn't meant to. They just smelled so good.

"I had powers before they were bound, Val. You hadn't come into yours yet. It's just going to take a little while is all." he told her.

"I know, but I can't help but to think I'm letting everyone down." she told him.

"You're not letting anyone down," he told her as he rose to his feet. "However, you need to come to bed because it's 3am."

Valerie gave in and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. Realizing how tired she actually was, she left her journal and books on the sofa and went down to her room.

"I'll talk to Chris tomorrow," Wyatt told her. "And we'll figure out something, okay?"

_**Chapter Two**_

Chris's eyes flew open and he stared at the ceiling. He struggled to free his legs from his sheets. Frustrated, he kicked his blankets and sheets onto the floor. His head was reeling from the images of his dreams that still played through his minds eye. They were more like his memories mixed together in a tangled web of confusion.

In his twenty-two years Chris had literally lived in three different times. The first one, his original life, Wyatt was an evil man that reeked havoc on the entire city. Chris made the ultimate sacrifice and traveled back in time to save him from losing himself to the dark force that overtook him. Chris succeeded in his mission to help his brother, but that brought him to this current time in which he was living now.

Chris sat on the edge of his bed and buried his face in his hands. He squeezed his eyes shut as if to block the thoughts that ran through his mind. Time travel had its consequences, and he was certainly paying his dues. The three lives all shared the same soul. When his mother and aunts cast a Power of Three Spell to restore Wyatt's memories Chris was also in the room. This resulted in all of his memories merging together.

He was overjoyed when he first realized what had happened. He could remember weekend fishing trips with Leo, playing Scrabble for hours with Piper, and falling in love for not only the first, but also the second time with Bianca. The problem occurred when the memories from the other times invaded his thoughts.

At one moment his heart warmed at a vision of Leo laughing with to him on the pier. The next moment he was filled with hatred for his father for abandoning him. He felt so proud of the man his brother had become; kind, loving, and caring-- but at times he feared him so much that he couldn't stay in the same room with him for longer than a moment. A few days before, he was having a conversation with Piper, and then was overwhelmed with grief because he remembered what she looked like the day they buried her.

Chris heard a loud crash and a shrill scream come from downstairs. He instinctively orbed down into the foyer to see what was going on.

"LEO! Get Valerie out of here!" Phoebe was shouting from the living room.

Chris caught a glimpse of his father and Valerie disappearing in a flash of blue and white light. The sisters had taken cover behind the sofa, but Chris was focused on his brother. Wyatt was a few feet away from him, standing between the door and stairs. He was looking up with a look of disbelief and confusion on his face. Chris followed his gaze and saw a demon standing on the landing with an energy ball poised to strike.

"WYATT! Look out!" Chris shouted.

Wyatt didn't move. He just stood there staring up at the attacker. The ball of electricity flew through the air towards Wyatt. Chris jumped in front of his brother and threw his palms up as if to block the blast. It hovered in mid air for a moment and then reversed its course back to the demon. He screamed and erupted into a pile of ash.

Chris stared at his hands for a moment. He had never been able to redirect attacks before.

"Are you alright, man?" he asked Wyatt.

Wyatt didn't answer. He had already orbed from the room.

Wyatt sat atop the Golden Gate Bride looking down on the city below him. He understood why Chris and Leo told him they liked to sometimes come here to think. The hectic, busy life of San Francisco zoomed by below him, yet up here he felt grounded and at peace. A cool wind whipped across his face and he closed his eyes against its bite.

"I thought I might find you up here." he heard Chris say.

He opened his eyes and saw his newly found younger brother standing next to him. The wind blew his dark hair from his forehead and his green eyes were full of concern. When Wyatt first opened his eyes after Gregory, his adoptive cousin, had stabbed him with Excalibur Chris was the first person he saw. He knew immediately that this man would be the one to keep him strong.

"May I?" Chris asked. Wyatt motioned for him to sit down and peered out into the endless California sky. They sat in silence for a few moments and took in the view together.

"It really is beautiful up here." Wyatt said. "I should write a song about it someday."

"That would be great," Chris said, "really great bro."

"So is everyone okay?" Wyatt asked abruptly.

"Yeah, they're fine. What happened back there?"

Wyatt took a deeper interest in the cloud formations that graced the sky and just shrugged.

"No, really Wyatt, if you're having some sort of issue you need to get it worked out." Chris told him.

"Why?" Wyatt asked, turning to face him for the first time.

"Why what?" Chris asked, visibly confused.

"Why do we have to fight them? My whole life I was raised to believe that The Charmed Ones were witches that sought to defeat anyone that came in their way of achieving power. I was tutored from the time I was five years old on ways to defeat them and I hated it. I hated the constant power struggles, the fighting, and the battles. I didn't want to do it for the Avatars, and I don't want to do it now." Wyatt told him softly.

Chris looked at his older brother. He was so different from the man he remembered from a previous life. Wyatt's alter ego was stricken with power; so much so that he killed anyone that got in his way. Now here next to him sat the same man, but instead of seeking world dominance he sought world peace.

"Wyatt, it's our destiny. We're the children of the Charmed Ones. We were placed on the earth to keep the balance of good and evil. Without us, the underworld would come up full force and the world we know would be destroyed." and then he added in a softer, more sullen voice, "Trust me, you don't want to live in a place like that."

"I don't want to fight, Chris." Wyatt told him.

"None of us do, Wyatt. But if we don't we'll die, simple as that." Chris replied.

"That's exactly what my Avatar 'father' told me... 'If we don't fight we'll die, Jay. The Charmed Ones will kill us.' I didn't believe in the destiny they laid out for me, and I don't believe in the one you guys have laid out for me either."

"What are you saying?" Chris asked in a shocked voice.

"That it's too much pressure." Wyatt answered sadly.

Chris sat alongside his brother for awhile longer in a comfortable silence. Together they watched the wind blow the clouds across the horizon. The sun started to set, and when the giant orange ball finally dipped into the ocean Chris wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders.

"We should get home. Mom will kill us if we're not home for dinner."

_**Chapter Three**_

Paige sat in the living room curled up on the couch with a book. The dim light from the table lamp gave her just enough light to illuminate the pages. Often, one would find her sitting there with some sort of autobiography or history of great people. Her sisters and brother in law knew not to bother her when she sat there, because it was then that she was trying to escape from the reality.

Chris, Wyatt, and Valerie came bounding into the living room and stopped short when they saw her sitting there. The light glowed on her ivory skin making her look almost angelic. Her red hair was now lightened and the lamp made the white in it look almost blond. She over her reading glasses at them as she set her book on the end table and smiled.

"Come on in you guys, I was just finishing up." she told them.

"Actually, I was just about to go to my apartment to pick up some more of my belongings." Wyatt told her.

"Wyatt," she said sighing, "you can't keep going over there. The manor is the safest place for you."

"I know, I'm just going to get some stuff and I'll be right back." he responded. He walked over and kissed her on the crown of her head. All of the Haliwell children felt closest to Paige. She wasn't just an aunt, but also their friend.

Paige nodded. "Go with him then, Chris."

She looked at Valerie and motioned for her to sit as the guys headed out. She saw so much of herself in her niece and was thankful for the time alone that she was just lucky enough to gain.

"How bout some ice cream?" Paige asked Valerie.

"Well," Valerie answered grinning, "I'm not in the mood for ice cream, but there's some cheesecake in there."

Paige laughed and headed into the kitchen with her niece to dish up some of the dessert. Piper and Leo were gone for the evening, Phoebe was at a charity function, and the boys would be gone for a few hours which left them alone to catch up. They sat at the table joking around and giggling like teenagers as they devoured Pipers homemade cheesecake.

"Do you think Aunt Piper is going to have our heads when she sees that this thing is half gone?" Valerie asked.

"Probably." Paige answered unable to control her giggles. "But that's alright; I'll take the heat for it."

"Why didn't you ever have any children of your own, Aunt Paige?" Valerie asked suddenly.

Paige's fork froze halfway between her plate and her mouth. She looked at her niece and slowly lowered it back down. It had been so long since she thought about it that she had completely blanked it from her mind. Now, out of nowhere, her niece brought back so many mixed emotions.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that, I just got caught up, that's all." Valerie sputtered when she saw the look on her aunt's face.

"No, no sweetie. I'll tell you what... I'll tell you why I never had children, if you tell me what's been bothering you lately." Paige offered.

"What do you mean?" Valerie asked.

"You know what I mean. I can tell something is bothering you and I want to know what it is. Perhaps I can help you with it, and that's all I want to do."

Valerie nodded. "Okay, deal."

Paige sighed and got up to put her plate in the sink. Valerie watched as her aunt quietly rinsed it and solemnly placed it in the drainer. She was sorry that she asked, but now she had opened a can of worms that could not be closed.

Paige moved slowly and meticulously. She had never opened her heart to anyone about these matters. Holding it inside for so many years had caused her an emotional wall to build around her heart, and now as she prepared to tell her story to Valerie she felt it start to crumble. She sat back down at the table and faced her niece.

"Aunt Paige, you don't have to tell me... I'll tell you what's going on in my head anyway." Valerie offered.

"No, I want to tell you. I need to tell you." Paige answered.

"You already know the story of Chris going to the past to save Wyatt and what happened. On the day your Aunt Piper gave birth to infant Chris our adult Chris was murdered by an elder that we trusted with all our hearts; his name was Gideon."

Valerie nodded; she already knew this story but listened intently because she knew how important it was for her aunt to get this off her chest.

"I watched Chris die in Leo's arms. Chris was so strong and brave, much like he is today, and Leo was torn to shreds when he realized that his magic couldn't heal him. I stood in the doorway and watched my nephew fade out of existence. I tried to comfort myself after I arrived at the hospital, and tried to convince myself that we hadn't actually lost him. However, every time I looked into those big green eyes of the baby, I couldn't help but wonder if he would grow to be the same man I came to know over the previous year."

"When we would go out tracking demons, I felt myself overcome with rage. Leo went on an elder hunting spree trying to track down all that opposed his family, and I silently cheered him on. Eventually I fell into a deep depression and gave up on everything and everyone."

Valerie sat in silence. She couldn't imagine her vibrant, loving, full of life Aunt Paige giving up on anything.

"Aunt Paige," she said, "I can't even picture you like that."

"Well, Leo and my sisters tried to help me but they couldn't. I locked myself in my room and threw myself into my magic studies. I think I was searching for a way for our adult Chris to come back to us subconsciously, but to no avail."

"When baby Chris was about six months old I walked outside to get the newspaper. I did a quick survey of the street like I always did, hoping to see Chris walking toward the manor. I did see a man, and my stomach flipped about four times but it wasn't Chris."

"This man was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. He was about six feet tall, tawny red hair, green eyes, and a butt to die for." Paige paused grinning as if she were seeing him again for the first time.

"He was moving in to the house across the street. I watched for about ten minutes as he unloaded boxes from his truck and just admired the muscles that his sweaty t shirt was so kindly showing off. He wiped some sweat off his forehead and I finally came to my senses. That was my way to meet him, he was hot... in more ways that one... and so I would bring him a glass of iced tea and introduce myself."

"Aunt Paige!" Valerie exclaimed. Paige grinned at her niece and Valerie gave an appreciative laugh.

"Anyway, I ran in the house and got him a nice tall glass of tea and gave myself a second glance in the hall mirror. My stomach had butterflies in it which really threw me for a loop because I was never shy. I walked across the street and introduced myself as I offered him the tea. He drank it down in one gulp, thanked me, and shook my hand. It was as if electricity shot between our fingertips and my knees got weak."

"His name was Matt. He had just moved here from Texas and he had the sexiest southern drawl I had ever heard. I offered to show him around town that weekend but he told me he was busy all weekend. He was, however, free that evening. It was the most romantic night of my life. We walked along the coast, drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, had dinner on the pier, and he ended it with a chaste kiss on my cheek. He was such the gentleman."

"We were practically inseparable after that. He was kind, and gentle and sweet. He completely understood that my family was my biggest priority, and never had a problem when I would disappear or cancel a date. Piper and Phoebe loved him, and he and Leo had so much in common. He was a doll with Chris and Wyatt, and I felt the safest when I was in his arms. We would spend the evenings snuggled in front of his fireplace just talking about random things, or sometimes we would just enjoy being together."

"Your mother and I went together to doctors office when she was getting a pregnancy test to find out if you were on the way or not. While we were there, I decided to give it a go and have myself tested also because I wasn't feeling like myself. Both of our tests came up positive. Phoebe was ecstatic but I was terrified. Jason knew Phoebe was a witch, but I hadn't told Matt about me yet. I didn't want to risk losing him, and so I put off telling him or anyone else. The problem solved itself though, because I had a miscarriage when I was about sixteen weeks along."

Paige paused once more, the look in her eyes a bit more distant. Valerie reached out and touched her hand.

"Please Aunt Paige," Valerie pleaded, "I hate to see you in so much pain. I don't want to know anymore if it's going to hurt you so much. Please, just stop."

"Leo healed me, and I made everyone swear not to tell Matt. It would be hard enough to explain to him why I hadn't told him, but even harder to explain why I wasn't in the hospital after a second trimester miscarriage. I threw myself into my students at Magic School and avoided him for a few weeks. He finally confronted me and told me that he knew something was wrong, and that he would wait for me until I got it sorted out. My heart once again melted and things didn't take that long to get back to normal."

"Matt helped me through the loss of adult Chris, and helped me come to terms with the loss of my own child without ever knowing he did. I think he was about ready to propose to me just before we split up. He started hinting around about starting a family and I noticed little realistate pamphlets with houses circled nearby. He told me once that if we ever got married he wanted to buy a house that was completely ours, but he would buy one nearby so that I could be near my sisters. Oh, how I ached to have that ring on my finger and be his wife. I started dreaming about our children and our life together, and I was finally ready to tell him what I was."

"What happened?" Valerie asked.

"Zabdiel and Nancy happened. When Wyatt was supposedly killed I was once again torn to pieces. Matt was my strength throughout the funeral and the mourning process. I had so much going through my mind. I had eliminated magic from my life, but I also made the decision that I did not want to have children. The loss of my nephews was painful enough, and I couldn't imagine how hard it would be if I lost a child of my own. I broke things off with Matt. I told him that we didn't want the same things and it was best that we called it quits. He was heartbroken and accepted a job offer that brought him back to Texas. I remember watching him load up his belongings into the moving van, and I never heard from him again. A week later I made an appointment to go and have my tubes tied. I dated some more for a few years, but I could never find that connection and passion that I had with him."

Tears were streaming down Paige's face. Valerie jumped up and wrapped her arms around her favorite aunt. Paige buried her face in Valerie's shoulder and cried. When the sobs finally subsided, Paige sniffled and looked at her niece with swollen eyes.

"Well," she said forcing a smile, "That's my story... what's yours?"

_**Chapter Four**_

When Chris and Wyatt arrived at the apartment Wyatt knew instantly that someone had been there. Nothing was out of place, but like anyone else he could tell that someone was recently in his home. Chris could feel it too and they both stopped dead in their tracks surveying the living room. They stood in silence for a few moments scanning for any danger.

"Someone has been here," Wyatt told Chris.

"I know, but who?" Chris said more like a statement than an answer.

Together they searched the house for any unwanted visitors. They were both aware of every sound, movement, and rustle that encompassed their surroundings. After the whole apartment had been searched and cleared they finally allowed themselves to relax and breathe once more.

"Maybe it was my imagination," Wyatt offered.

"I doubt it, I felt it too. Always trust your instincts, Bro, they won't let you down." Chris said patting his brother on the back. Wyatt half smiled and headed back into his bedroom.

"You have anything to drink?" Chris asked.

"There should be some soda in the fridge," Wyatt called from the back of the house.

Chris headed to the kitchen and paused to study the way his brother had lived. It amazed him that Wyatt led such a normal life in this time. The apartment was small and cluttered with empty beer bottles and old magazines. The walls were covered with rock band posters and the furniture was old and dingy. It was comfortable; the typical bachelors pad. He understood why Wyatt wouldn't let go of it easier, even if it was for his best interests.

Chris got his drink and went to meet up with Wyatt. He leaned up against the bedroom door jam and watched his older brother. Wyatt was sitting on his bed with his back facing Chris flipping through a notebook. His shoulders heaved as he sighed and flipped the page.

"Nice place." Chris said.

"Yeah, but I can't afford it now that Greg isn't here to split the rent." Wyatt replied as he turned to face his younger brother.

"What does it matter? You can stay at the manor now." Chris said.

"Want to move in?" Wyatt asked unexpectedly.

"What?" Chris asked.

"I don't want to live at the manor Chris. I want to stay here. I want to start fresh. I don't want to fight demons and battle for the force of good, or for the force of evil for that matter. I just want to be me."

Chris didn't have time to respond. Wyatt suddenly jumped up and threw Chris to the other side of the room. Memories of another world filled his mind and he flung Wyatt against the wall with a swing of his arm. Wyatt hit it with a loud crash and his eyes closed against the pain. Chris advanced on his brother as his rage boiled.

"Chris, look out." Wyatt nearly whispered.

Chris turned around to see a man looming behind him. He was dressed in black and his eyes were narrowed in determination. The glint of an athame caught Chris's attention and he quickly rushed to Wyatt's side. He laid his hand on his shoulder and they quickly orbed home to the manor.

Valerie sent Paige to bed with the promise that they would talk in the morning. Her aunt was visibly exhausted from telling her story, and Valerie didn't want to burden her with her own problems. Paige retired for the evening to her bedroom without putting up much of a fight.

Valerie had walked her aunt to her room and was heading back downstairs when she saw Chris and Wyatt orb into the living room. Chris was holding Wyatt up against his shoulder and eased him down onto the couch. Valerie noticed a red stain on Chris's shirt and rushed down to meet them.

"What happened?" Valerie asked.

She looked down at her cousin. His eyes were closed but his forehead was creased with pain. His short blond hair was caked with fresh blood and his lips were pale. She gasped and looked at Chris. Chris avoided her stare and examined his brother.

"Dad!" Chris called.

Leo and Piper arrived a second later in a glow of white and blue orbs. Piper looked lovely, dressed in a long black satin gown. Her long black hair was pulled up in a bun and the only jewelry she wore was a modest pair of diamond earrings. Leo was dressed in a black suit and white dress shirt. They both gasped when they saw their eldest son bleeding and nearly unconscious on the couch.

Leo rushed forward and healed him easily. The color returned to Wyatt's lips and he sat up rubbing the back of his head. He looked past his parents and stared at his younger brother with imploring eyes. He couldn't figure out why his brother had attacked him.

"What happened?" Piper asked as she sat down next to Wyatt on the couch.

She pushed his hair back to see what damage had been done. There was nothing left, of course, because Leo had already done an excellent job healing him. Wyatt was, however, still coated in blood. He pulled his gaze from Chris and focused on his mother.

"Demon." he said simply and then added, "Don't worry though, Chris took care of it. I need a shower."

Wyatt excused himself from the room which left all eyes on Chris. He shifted uncomfortably in the silence that followed his brother's exit. Chris was overcome with guilt. He had every intention of hurting, if not killing, Wyatt, and Chris was sure that his brother knew that. Still, Wyatt had gathered all his strength to give him a heads up.

"What?" Chris asked the room irritably.

"What happened?" Piper asked him.

"A demon, he told you that. We took care of it." Chris answered, wanting desperately to leave the room.

"What are you trying to keep from us?" Leo asked suspiciously.

"Nothing! Why are you always hounding me? Wyatt's word was always good enough for you before, even if he was lying. Now, I'm telling you the same thing and you're still accusing me of lying?" Chris burst out.

Leo looked at his youngest son in shock. Chris had never spoken to him or Piper in that tone before. They had all had such a close relationship and Leo was suddenly reminded of being locked in a cave with Chris a lifetime ago.

"Chris..." Piper said.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Dad. I didn't mean it; I don't know where that came from."

"Already forgotten, Son." Leo said. He stepped forward and hugged Chris tightly.

Chris allowed the hug and half heartedly returned it. Leo pulled back just far enough to look into his youngest sons eyes.

"If you need to talk, you know I'm here." Leo offered.

"There's nothing to talk about." Chris answered pulling away.

"I'm going to go check that demon out in the book." He said as a way of escape.

"I thought you said you took care of it?" Valerie asked.

Chris shot her a look. "Well, I'm just checking." he snapped.

"Chris," Piper pleaded as he orbed from the room.

"Let him go," Leo said, then turning to Valerie he said, "Will you go check on him?"

Valerie nodded and headed up the stairs. She wanted to talk to him anyway, and hopefully he would be able to answer some of her questions.

Valerie didn't need to go all the way up to the attic because she found Chris in his room. His door was open ajar and she could see him sitting on his bed with his head buried in his hands. She couldn't remember ever seeing him look so defeated and she wondered what could possibly be wrong.

She rapped softly on the door and he looked up. His face was pale and his eyes were swollen. He motioned for her to come in and ran his hand through his thick dark hair. She looked deep into his eyes and saw the pain and confusion that tormented his soul.

"Chris, what's wrong?" she asked as she sat next to him on his bed.

Chris stared at his hands in his lap and stayed silent for a moment. Valerie could sense that he was searching for the right words.

"I don't know," he answered.

Another knock on the door revealed Wyatt standing in fresh clothes and wet hair. He stood awkwardly staring at his brother and cousin. He knew that they loved and accepted him, but he didn't want to intrude on a personal moment.

"Come on in," Chris told him. Valerie heard a tinge of nervousness in his voice.

Wyatt strode into the room and took the computer chair across from the bed. Valerie looked at the two brothers in turn and wondered what was going on. Wyatt stared into space and Chris continued to stare at his hands. Valerie couldn't take it anymore and got up to shut the door.

"What the hell happened?" she asked. Wyatt and Chris jumped at her sudden outburst. They stayed quiet for a moment, and then seeing the look on her face Wyatt thought it was best to answer the question.

"We told you, a demon attacked us and Chris took care of it." he told her.

Chris looked at Wyatt and Valerie crossed her arms.

"Don't lie to me!" she demanded. She looked at Chris and narrowed her eyes. "What is going on with you? I can't believe you snapped at Uncle Leo like that!"

"You snapped at Dad?" Wyatt asked Chris. Chris sat there helplessly trapped. He knew that he had to answer their questions but he didn't know how so he decided to change the subject.

"What's going on with you, Val? You think I can't hear you up in the attic at ungodly hours of the night? I can hear you crying too, why won't you come talk to me?" he demanded back at her.

Valerie's face fell for a moment, but she inherited her mother's determination. "Don't you change the subject on me, Chris Haliwell."

Chris sighed and looked at the two of them. He had never told Wyatt what an evil man his alter ego had been, only that he had gone to the past to save an evil from overtaking him. He wasn't very sure how much Valerie knew either.

"Alright, I'll tell you guys, but you have to tell me what's going on with you. Valerie, you aren't sleeping at night and I hear you crying constantly. Wyatt, you just about let a demon turn you into ash. So, I will tell you guys, if you tell me." He looked to his brother and cousin for confirmation. They both nodded in agreement so Chris started in on his story.

"It's simple really. I'm going insane," he stated. "Now your turn, Valerie."

"Oh no, you're not getting off that easy," Wyatt said. "I want to know what happened back there."

"Alright, alright," Chris said. "Maybe it's not as simple as me going crazy but that's what it feels like. I've lived in three different times and all the memories are jumbled. It kills me to think about burying Mom, hating Dad, and fearing you Wyatt."

"What?" Valerie asked.

"In another life my mom was killed when I was 14. My dad abandoned me. Wyatt was the devil incarnate, and you didn't even exist Valerie. But in this life, my dad brought me to Boy Scout campouts, my mom is still here, and... I just don't understand why I can't get them all sorted out." Chris buried his head in his hands again.

"Is that why you attacked me? Because you thought I was going to hurt you?" Wyatt asked softly. He loved his younger brother immensely, and he couldn't imagine doing anything to make Chris fear him.

"You attacked him!" Valerie exclaimed.

Chris tried to speak, but instead choked back a sob. Wyatt waved his hand dismissively at Valerie but she didn't take the hint.

"But why?" she asked to nobody in particular.

"It was my fault," Wyatt said. "My--apartment-- had a demon in it. He snuck up behind Chris and I threw Chris out of the way. It was just a reflex - an accident. No big deal; I'm fine."

"It was more than that and you know it, Wyatt." Chris said. "You know I had every intention of--"

"It was an accident." Wyatt stated.

"Oh God, Chris. You need to get some therapy or something to sort this out. It will drive you crazy if you don't get some help." Valerie said.

"I've thought about it. I even called a therapist." Chris said.

"You did?" Valerie asked innocently.

"Yeah, I called and said 'Hi. I'm suffering from the consequence of time travel. See, in my first life my brother was an evil ruler that had demons as bodyguards so I went to the past to try to save him. Then I got there and saved him which altered reality and now I have this life. All my memories are interfering with each other so can you help me to get my mixed emotions under control?"

Wyatt laughed out loud and Valerie actually cracked a smile. Chris, however, didn't see anything funny about the situation. He feared that if he didn't figure something out soon then he would eventually be lost inside his own mind.

"Come on, Chris lighten up. Think about what you just said, it was funny." Wyatt said as he got his chuckles under control.

Chris tried to look at his brother and cousin with contempt, but their smiles wouldn't allow it. He had to admit that it was funny, even though he was trying to be sarcastic.

"Have you talked to your dad? Maybe he knows how to deal with it," Valerie offered.

"I haven't wanted to bother him with it. He and Mom have been so happy since we got Wyatt back."

"Well, we'll just have to depend on each other," Wyatt said.

Chris nodded and looked at Valerie. She shifted uncomfortably and walked to the window. Her problem seemed so insignificant compared to what Chris had to deal with. She stared out into the night sky and wondered how she should start, or if she should even start at all.

"Valerie?" she heard in the distance. She focused her attention on her cousins. They were both looking down at her. She realized she was lying on the floor of the room looking up at two very concerned men.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You passed out," Wyatt answered.

"Not again!" Valerie groaned as she sat up and rubbed her temples.

"What do you mean, 'again'?" Chris asked. He was in control again; the concern for his cousin gaining precedence.

"I've been doing that a lot lately. I'll start thinking about something and the next thing I know I'm flat on my back and it's like an hour later." she answered wearily.

"When did this start?" Wyatt asked.

"About two months ago."

"Why didn't you tell anybody?" Chris asked.

"For the same reason you didn't; I didn't want to worry anybody."

Chris and Wyatt exchanged worried glances over Valerie. They were both very protective over their younger cousin, and they didn't want anything to happen to her. It bothered them both that she hadn't brought her condition to anyone's attention. Wyatt knew that she had been struggling to gain her powers, but he had no idea that it was affecting her physically.

"Is there any chance you could be... you know?" Wyatt asked uncomfortably.

"No, I don't know-what?" Valerie responded.

"You know, expecting," he replied sheepishly.

"Expecting what?" Valerie asked, clearly confused.

"Oh geez, pregnant Val! Could you be pregnant?" An exasperated Chris blurted.

"No!" she exclaimed.

"I didn't think so, but we had to rule it out," Wyatt told her.

Valerie looked at the two men and huffed. She was visibly annoyed by the accusation. She had been doing nothing but study magic since she came home from Paris. The closest she had gotten to a man since then was imagining what her Aunt Paige's Matt looked like in a pair of Wranglers.

"Why is it," she asked them, "that whenever a girl is cranky or not feeling well it has to do with female issues?"

"Well... I... uh..." Chris stumbled.

"Drop it," Valerie ordered.

Chris stopped short and silently thanked his cousin for making him put a lid on it. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to talk his way out of that one. Wyatt raised his eyebrows at his younger brother and avoided Valerie's gaze. They hadn't meant to hurt her feelings.

"The tension in here is getting a little thick," Wyatt said. "What do you guys say we go out?"

Chris and Valerie agreed. Valerie headed to the room that she was sharing with her mother to change and left Chris and Wyatt alone in their room.

"She's really stressing out about not having any powers yet. Do you think it might have something to do with it?" Wyatt asked Chris.

"Probably," Chris answered.

_**Chapter Five**_

Chris, Wyatt and Valerie assured Piper and Leo that everything was fine before they headed out. They decided to go play a few rounds of pool at a little bar across town from P3. Wyatt suggested it because there wouldn't be many people there and they could still have a good time.

Chris and Wyatt were involved in a close match. Chris had two strips left, and Wyatt was down to his last solid. Valerie watched good naturedly and cheered the two of them on.

"Hey guys, I'm going to go get a drink," she told them. "You want anything?"

They both requested a fresh beer and handed her some cash. Valerie made her way to the bar and waited to be served. She noticed a middle aged man a few stools down staring at her and she tried to ignore him. He put his drink down and stumbled toward her.

"Hi there, beautiful. How about you let me buy you a drink," he stammered.

"No thanks, I'm here with someone," She answered.

The man got angry and grabbed her arm. She spun her head around and looked him dead in the eye. He squeezed her arm and pulled her to him. She looked around for Wyatt and Chris but they were involved in the game. Pulling her arm away she took a step backwards.

"I said I'm here with someone," she repeated.

She felt someone's arms wrap around her waist and a small kiss on the side of her neck. Shivers went down her spine and she turned to see who was embracing her.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. This guy bothering you?"

Valerie looked at the stranger that had just saved her. He was young and good looking. His hair looked to be light brown and he had a five o clock shadow. He had broad shoulders and she could see from his forearms that he was very muscular. Valerie looked back at the drunken man.

"No Baby, I was just explaining to this nice man that I was here with you. He was just on his way," Valerie said more to the drunk than to this new guy. The middle aged man didn't say another word and slunk back to his barstool, silently glaring at the couple.

"Thanks for that," Valerie said.

"No problem," he replied. "I guess I'll be on my way now."

"No, really. Come play pool with us." Valerie offered. "I'm here with my two cousins, I need a team mate."

He helped Valerie with the beers and they headed back to Wyatt and Chris. Valerie was curious as to where this stranger came from, but she was thankful that he did. Chris looked up to see them coming and elbowed Wyatt in the ribs. They shared a private smile as the approached.

"I found a partner guys!" Valerie announced.

"These are my cousins Wyatt and Chris. Wyatt, Chris this is... oh I'm sorry," Valerie apologized when she realized that she hadn't properly introduced them selves.

The stranger didn't get the chance. The drunken man from the bar came barreling across the room. He grabbed a pool stick off the wall and he was rushing toward Valerie. Before anyone had time to react Valerie felt the something slam against her back. She stumbled, lost her balance, and hit her head on the side of the pool table.

Chris jumped forward, fist cocked, ready to beat the mans face in. Wyatt restrained him, and the stranger grabbed the stick from the drunken man. The bar tender suddenly appeared and helped the stranger get the drunk under control.

"Chris, we need to get Valerie out of here," Wyatt said.

Outside in the parking lot, the stranger ran out to meet them.

"Wait," he yelled. "Let me help."

"It's alright, we've got it covered. We just need to get her home," Wyatt replied.

"No, I can help," the stranger insisted.

Chris eased Valerie into the passenger seat of the car. The stranger was right next to him. Chris shut the car door, wiped his hands on his jeans, and looked the man in the eye.

"My brother said we have it covered. Thank you for your help, but we need to get her home." he said firmly.

"But she's hurt!" the stranger insisted.

"Then we'll take her to a hospital," Wyatt offered.

"I'm a Whitelighter," the stranger told them.

Wyatt and Chris exchanged a look, but allowed him closer to Valerie. His hands glowed with a golden light and he ran them down the top of her head and shoulders. She looked at him and felt some sort of recognition; but she didn't say a word. After he was done, the four of them stood in silence.

"Where is your charge?" Chris asked.

"I'm looking at them," the stranger replied. "My name is Matt, by the way."

_**Chapter Six**_

Piper sat up in her bed reading a magazine while Leo showered. She looked up and smiled at him when he walked in wearing a pair of old pajama pants. His hair was still wet and beads of water reflected light off his chest. She watched him as he toweled off his hair; and screamed when he snapped the towel in her direction.

"Hey!" she yelled.

Leo grinned and sat on the bed next to her. He leaned over her to grab his book that was sitting on the nightstand next to her and stole a kiss on the way. They sat silently winding down from the evening events as they read. After a few minutes, Piper sighed and put her magazine down on her lap.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked.

"Nothing, just can't concentrate," Piper answered.

"What are you thinking about?" he replied, laying his book down on his own side of the bed.

Piper sighed and picked her magazine back up. "Nothing."

Leo laid his hand on Piper's knee and forced her to look into his eyes. He knew something was bothering his wife. He had been her husband for over two decades, and her Whitelighter for her entire life.

"Tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help," he offered.

"Leo, do you know what amazes me about you?" she asked.

"My exquisite good looks? Maybe my charming personality? Perhaps, my giant biceps?" he teased as he flexed his arm.

Piper laughed. "Well, that is all very enticing, but no, what amazes me is the fact that after all these years you still have the heart of a Whitelighter."

Leo looked directly into her eyes and smiled sweetly. "It's not the Whitelighter in me that wants to know what's wrong. It's the husband in me that needs to know."

Piper reached up and touched his freshly shaven cheek. It was soft, like a baby's. She looked deep into his blue eyes and felt her stomach flip. After all these years she was still madly in love with him, and it felt good.

"Oh alright, your charming good looks and awesome power of persuasion has me beat," she laughed.

She sat up straighter in the bed and faced her husband. She knew she had his full attention and so she started.

"I'm worried about the boys," she said. "Chris has been really distant lately. He looks at me like I have two noses sometimes, and I don't like the way he snapped at you earlier. What he was saying didn't even make sense."

Leo nodded and contemplated what Piper had just said. He too was also concerned about Chris's outburst. Leo had wondered if he had been favoring Wyatt since he came home, or if Chris was feeling a little insecure about having his older brother back. He also wondered how many memories son had gained from his time travel experiences. Leo had tried so hard to ensure that Chris knew how much he was loved, and now Leo wondered if he had again made a mistake with his youngest child.

"I'm sure he'll come to us when he's ready," Leo told Piper.

"That's just the thing, Leo, I don't know if he will. It's like he's turning into another person since we found Wyatt," Piper said, maternal concern filling her voice.

"He is another person since we found Wyatt; we're all different people since we found Wyatt. Our lives have all changed dramatically," Leo said.

"Including Wyatt's. Do you think we're putting too much pressure on him to be a Haliwell? I mean, he was gone for twenty years, and we assumed he was dead. It was only a few months ago that he even knew who we were, and now we expect him to just come on in and be one of us. He froze up in front of that demon today like he had no idea what to do," Pipers voice was gaining intensity.

"Piper, they are grown men. They will come to us if they deem it necessary, and if they don't then we'll just have to deal with that. Chris is a smart boy, and Wyatt is fully comfortable with us. He loves us, you know that." Leo told her in a calming voice.

"How can you be so sure?" Piper asked.

"Because you are their mother," Leo replied.

"You are getting too stressed out over this. I'll tell you what... there's a free concert on the pier tomorrow night and I really want to go. Will you be my date?" He asked her as he inched his hand from her knee up to her thigh.

"Oh," she chuckled, "Way to change the subject."

"Well, will you?" he asked as he leaned in for a kiss.

Piper leaned back to avoid his lips from meeting hers. "I'd love to go to the concert with you, but you're not going to get lucky!"

"Is that right?" Leo asked as he turned the bedside light off and Piper giggled in the dark.

_**Chapter Seven**_

Keith Lesworth was an attractive man. He stood about six feet tall with a slender build. He had high cheekbones, pouty lips, and a strong jaw. He was in his mid forties and his dark brown hair still didn't have a touch of grey in it. His blue eyes, which usually sparkled with confidence, were clouded with worry.

He paced the marbled floor of the Brotherhood Hall. He was called to a hearing after his little stunt back at his adoptive son's apartment. They were to make a final decision on what was to become of him after so carelessly going after the younger Haliwell boy.

The Brotherhood had snatched Wyatt Haliwell up as soon as they learned where he was, and he convinced them to allow him to be his caretaker. He wanted to take the child and raise him as his own. He succeeded easily due to his immeasurable talent at persuasion, and renamed the boy Jay.

Keith was an arrogant man. He wanted an heir to follow in his footsteps once he rose to power. Unfortunately, the witches found their lost child and took him back. It was a huge blow to Keith's ego when Nigel Michaels took Wyatt away to tutor him, but it nearly devastated his pride when the witches got to him.

In his rage at losing all of his dreams due to The Charmed Ones, Keith came up with a plan for vengeance. He would destroy all of the Haliwells, and lure Wyatt back to him. Granted, he didn't want very much to do with his adopted son once he realized that the child didn't have any powers; but now that he was back with the witches, he was sure to be more powerful that one could imagine. He would take his son back, and together they would overturn the council of Avatars.

"They'll see you now," an elderly man told Keith.

He walked slowly to the double doors. He pulled hard on the heavy mahogany and stepped inside. Several men stood facing him, but none wore any expression at all. He bowed his head humbly and they stared at him coldly. He stepped forward to meet his consequence.

"Do you know why you have been brought here?" one man asked him.

"Yes, my lord, I do," he answered.

"And why is that?" the same man asked.

"Because I went behind the council and sought revenge on the witches without approval," he responded weakly.

"You realize that this is punishable by death?" he was asked.

"Yes, my lord," he answered.

"We will give you one chance to explain yourself," he was told by another council member. "And then, we will decide your fate.

_**Chapter Eight**_

Valerie awoke with before the sun rose the next morning. She slipped out of bed and tip toed out the front door to sit on the porch and watch the sunrise. She stared out at the purple hued horizon and thought about the night before.

Chris and Wyatt didn't really know what to say to Matt after he informed them that he was their new Whitelighter. They had all assumed that Leo would be the one to watch over them. She understood why her aunt was instantly swept away by him; and wondered how she would react when Matt made his next appearance to the family. The door opened behind her but she didn't bother to turn around.

"Hey," she heard Chris say as he sat next to her.

"Hey" she replied softly.

Valerie watched as purple dusk turned to a brilliant orange and red dawn. She hadn't told Chris and Wyatt the story that Paige had told her the night before, and now she was trying to figure out how to tell them.

"Some night, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, some night," she replied distantly.

"What's on your mind?" Chris asked.

"A lot actually," Valerie told him.

Chris wrapped his arm around his younger cousin and pulled her close.

"Tell me," he told her.

"Where do I start?" she asked.

"From the beginning would be good," he replied.

Valerie sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Last night, before you and Wyatt came back, Aunt Paige and I had a long talk," she started. "Did you know that she was pregnant the same time my mom was pregnant with me?"

Chris shook his head; his eyes wide with shock. "No, what happened?"

"She had a miscarriage. After Wyatt's funeral she broke things off with the dad and he moved away. That is why she never married or had children, because she never found another love like the one she had with this guy."

"Is there something you're not telling me, Val?" Chris asked her.

"Yes there is, but I'm not sure if I should tell you quite yet," Valerie answered.

"You can tell me, and I won't tell anybody else your secret," he promised her.

"The guy that she was so madly in love with, the one that fathered her baby, was Matt. Our new Whitelighter."

"What did you say?"

Chris and Valerie jumped. They turned around to see Paige standing on the doorstep. Her eyes were brimming with tears and her face had gone pale. Chris jumped to his feet and wrapped his arm around his aunts waist to hold her up because she looked as if she was about to pass out. Valerie sat on the porch steps and stared at her aunt sadly.

"What did you say?" Paige repeated slowly to Valerie.

Valerie couldn't speak and she looked away. She didn't know why, but her heart was breaking. She wanted to jump up and hug her aunt, but all she could do was sit there and stare at Chris and Paige helplessly. Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming urge to jump from the porch steps and run away.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Paige," was all that Valerie could say.

"Let's go get a pot of coffee on," Paige suggested, "and then you can tell me what you're talking about."

Wyatt, Chris, and Valerie sat in the kitchen with their aunt recounting their story to her. Paige's face was void of any emotion, but her eyes were clouded over in thought. She wondered if the love that she and Matt had shared was real, or if he was just trying to get close to the family due to the children. Would he have still left if she hadn't broken things off, or would he have stayed to build their life together? Paige was completely lost in thought when the rest of the family came down.

"Hi Sweetie," Phoebe said as she leaned down to kiss Valerie on the cheek.

"Whoa, what's going on in here?" she added as she looked around. One didn't need to have empathy to know that something very emotional was going on in this room.

"Well, apparently Matt is, and always has been, the kids' Whitelighter," Paige told her sister.

"Excuse me?" Piper asked, still rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"No, that's impossible," Leo said, "I'm their Whitelighter."

"No Dad," Wyatt told him, "You are the Charmed Ones Whitelighter."

"That son of a--"

"Leo!" Paige interrupted.

"I'm going to talk to the elders," Leo told his family.

Piper and Phoebe sat on either side of Paige. Phoebe took her younger sister's hand and squeezed it tight. Paige laid her head on Piper's shoulder and sighed deeply. The kids sat on the opposite side, not quite knowing what to do or say.

"I wonder if he actually ever loved me," Paige said.

"Of course he did," Piper told her gently.

"How can you be sure?" Paige asked blinking away the tears.

"She can't be sure honey," Phoebe told her, "But I can. He loved you with his entire soul, and he was heartbroken before he left."

"Yeah?" Paige asked wiping away the tears on her cheek.

"Yeah," Phoebe answered with half a smile.

Leo orbed back into the room a few moments later. His face was red with frustration and he impulsively clenched his fists. He looked from the girls to the children and leaned against the stove.

"What did they say?" Piper asked looking back at her husband.

"To deal with it," Leo answered.

Wyatt sat quietly observing the situation that lay out before him. He was even more sure now that he didn't want anything to do with a magic filled life than he ever was. Magic seemed to do nothing but harvest pain and confusion, but he wasn't going to just let this Matt character slide with hurting his beloved family.

"MATT!" Wyatt called suddenly. The rest of the Haliwells jumped and looked at him.

"No Wyatt, don't-" Paige started, but she was too late. Matt appeared in the kitchen in a rush of blue and white orbs. He stood awkwardly looking at Paige.

"Fix this," Wyatt told Matt, then looking at his brother and cousin he added, "Let's go, now."

Valerie and Chris followed Wyatt out of the room, which left Matt alone with Paige, Piper, Phoebe, and Leo.

"Howdy Matt!" Phoebe said with forced enthusiasm.

"Yes, long time no see," Piper added with less emotion.

"Phoebe, Piper it's good to see you again," Matt said hesitantly.

"Leo," Matt said, stepping forward and extending a hand. Leo refused the handshake and looked in Paige's direction.

"Paige," Matt said softly, "I missed you.

"Well, I might have kept in touch but you didn't leave a forwarding address," she said coldly.

Matt shifted his weight uncomfortably and looked around the room. He turned to his old friend, Leo, for support.

"You understand, don't you?" he asked.

"No, I don't understand," Leo told him.

"You deceived us, you manipulated your way into our lives, and you used my sister," Piper accused.

"No, it wasn't like that!" Matt protested.

"Then what was it like?" Phoebe asked.

"I was under strict orders not to tell you," Matt said. "I hadn't planned to fall in love with you Paige, it just happened. I'm sorry."

Paige stood up and faced her ex lover. She looked deeply into his eyes searching for something that she wasn't sure she could find.

"You are still so beautiful," he told her.

"And you," she said slapping him across the face, "Look exactly the same!"

Paige stormed out of the kitchen and left Matt rubbing the red handprint that was welting up on his cheek. Phoebe tried to suppress a giggle.

"I guess I deserved that," Matt said in a thick Texan accent.

"You certainly did," Piper told him.

"What are you doing here?" Leo asked. "The kids got their powers back six months ago. Why are you just now showing up?"

"Originally, the elders were going to relieve me of my duties to them, but they decided otherwise about a month ago." Matt told Leo.

"Why?" Phoebe asked.

"Because they are all having a hard time dealing with the magic in their lives, and they felt that it was best that an outsider of the family help them through their journeys." he replied.

"We can help our own children," Piper told him.

"Have you helped them yet?" Matt asked.

"Watch it," Phoebe told him.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he is right," Leo said. "We are too close to them and it might cause more harm than good if we try to get too close."

"Spoken like a true elder," Piper snapped.

"I don't want to take Leo's place. After Paige and I got involved, I asked the elders for new charges. They refused my request. I just want to help them, I swear!" Matt told the family.

"You'll never take Leo's place," Phoebe told him.

"I know, but maybe Leo and I can work together?" Matt pleaded.

"Perhaps," Leo told him.

"Well, I can't think of a better person to watch after my niece and nephews," Paige said from the doorway.

She had gotten halfway up the stairs and turned around. She realized that though she loved Matt with all of her soul a lifetime ago; she couldn't hold him responsible for their break up and so she decided to make the best of the situation.

"Thank you," Matt told her.

"If Paige can find it in her heart to give you a second chance, then I suppose I can too," Phoebe told Matt. Piper and Leo nodded in agreement.

_**Chapter Nine**_

Paige and Matt sat facing one another in the kitchen. Piper, Phoebe, and Leo politely excused themselves to allow the two of them to talk. Paige would not wear her heart on her sleeve, because it was once again breaking. Phoebe said that she had felt, with her empathy, that Matt loved her with his entire soul, but Paige wondered if that was true. She knew that he was not entirely to blame. She kept secrets from him, and broke things off without an explanation. However, that didn't excuse his lies. She felt completely torn between right and wrong.

Matt stared at Paige trying to conceal how he really felt. His heart, too, was breaking but he was not ashamed to show it. When he left all those years ago he knew that he was making a huge mistake. He should have stayed and fought for their love, but he was too cowardly to tell her the truth. Now, twenty years later, he was once again in her presence and he had to face her. He knew that he deserved the smack, but what he couldn't understand was why she was the first to come forward and accept him as the kids' new Whitelighter. His heart ached, and he knew that she still had, and always would have a pure soul.

"I'm sorry, Paige. I didn't mean for things to happen this way. I was going to come here first, talk to you, your sisters, and Leo before I met the kids," he told her.

"Then why didn't you?" she asked him.

"Because, Valerie was hurt and I wasn't thinking straight. All I wanted to do was help her," he replied.

Paige nodded and thought about what he had said. Her anger subsided with each word he spoke and she found it rather annoying.

"Thank you for coming to my defense," he said quietly.

"Well, it's really not up to me whether or not you will stay," she told him, "It's up to the kids."

Matt nodded. He knew how hard it was going to be to gain their trust; especially if they knew what happened between him and their aunt. Not to mention Leo was a hard person to live up to.

"Do they know about us?" he asked.

Paige looked at him, but didn't reply. She focused her attention on something underneath her fingernail instead.

"Paige," Matt said softly.

"What does it matter?" she asked. She didn't want to think about their relationship at that moment; it hurt too much.

"It's a fair question," Matt told her.

"Only Valerie knows," she sighed. "In fact, I just told her the story last night."

"Do you think that she told the boys?" he asked worriedly.

"I don't know. Why, are you ashamed of us?" Paige asked him coldly.

"You know better than that... at least I hope you do," Matt said, wounded.

Paige looked him square in the eye, but she didn't reply again. Matt sighed and leaned back in his chair. He stared at the ceiling and ran his fingers through his dark red hair. He hated it when she gave him the silent treatment. He always felt like a little kid caught doing something wrong when she did it. He felt compelled to say something, but he didn't know what.

"Did you really love me?" Paige suddenly asked, going out on a limb.

"What kind of question is that?" Matt asked, still staring at the ceiling.

"A fair one! If I deserve the answer to any question, I deserve the answer to that one in particular," she burst.

"Paige," Matt said, sitting forward reaching for her hand. "I loved you more than I could ever try to put into words. I wanted to marry you, raise a family, and live happily ever after. You sent me away, remember?" Matt's eyes were stinging with tears and he felt guilty for reminding her that she was the one who broke things off.

The words stung Paige and she pulled her hand away. "When were you planning to tell me why you really moved in across the street?" she asked, trying to control her voice from shaking. She knew he was right, but that didn't make it any easier.

"I wanted to tell you every single moment that we were together, but I just couldn't find the right time to say it. We were so happy together, and I didn't want to complicate any of the precious moments we shared," he told her tearfully.

"You should have told me," she said coldly. "You lied to me and my family, and then you abandoned us when we were of no use to you anymore. Did you ever think about me? What I needed? How Wyatt's death affected me? Did you ever think about how heartbroken you left this entire family?"

The words pierced through Matt's heart as if they were swords. A flood of emotions rushed through his mind and he physically flinched at the harsh words that were thrown at him. He stood up and placed his hands flat on the table, leaning down so that he could face her.

"It's not as if you were completely forthcoming with me either! You never told me that you were a witch, you never explained to me why you had to run off in the middle of a date, you never told me about our baby--" Matt stopped short in the middle of his outburst. He knew that he had said too much.

Paige looked at him with wide eyes. "How did you know?" she asked him.

Matt didn't answer and Paige stood up, knocking her chair over in the process.

"How did you know about the baby?" she shrieked at him.

Matt still didn't answer. He stood up straight and looked her in the eye. Fury overtook Paige and she started hitting him on the chest. Taken by surprise, Matt grabbed her hands and tried to restrain her. Paige was crying and fought against him.

"Let go of me!" she screamed.

Wyatt heard the yelling and rushed into the kitchen to see what was going on. He was confronted with his Aunt Paige being held down by this new Whitelighter. She was crying and trying to fight him off, but with no success. Wyatt went into protective mode and rushed in to save his aunt.

"She said let her go!" Wyatt said rushing to Paige's side.

Matt let go of Paige and took a step back. Wyatt wrapped his arm around his aunt and glared at Matt.

"Paige, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Matt started.

"I think it's time you go," Wyatt told him.

"You don't understand," Matt told Wyatt. "Let me explain."

"I said go!" Wyatt said, stepping towards Matt. Matt took one last longing look at Paige, and then he orbed from the room.

_**Chapter Ten**_

Chris and Valerie sat on Chris's bed in silence. They had also heard the yelling and Chris tried to convince Wyatt to stay out of it; but he rushed to Paige's side anyway.

"Wow," Valerie said, "I've never seen him so angry before."

"I have," Chris said forlornly.

At that moment Wyatt walked in and looked at his younger brother. His face was red and his hands were trembling.

"Was he our Whitelighter in that other life you remember?" he asked.

"No," Chris said, "Dad was."

"Well why are the elders changing things up now?" Valerie asked.

"Maybe because he wasn't that great of a Whitelighter," Chris said.

"He's a great Whitelighter," Valerie protested.

"He is now," Chris said. "He's a great father too, but back then he wasn't worth a three dollar bill."

"What's your problem?" Wyatt asked Chris.

"Huh?" Chris asked his brother.

"You've been ragging on Dad for weeks now. I don't understand why you are suddenly this horrible victim. I know I have only been around for a few months, but from what I can tell you have had a pretty good life with parents and a family that loves you to death. So I ask you again, what is your problem?"

Chris laid his head in his hands. He really didn't want to get into this again. He had already told them what his problem was, but he knew that they wouldn't understand.

"I'm sorry! You're the one that asked!" Chris snapped.

"Calm down you two," Valerie said.

All three of them looked up when they heard a light tapping on the door. Phoebe and Piper poked their heads in with nervous smiles on their faces.

"Hey, can we talk?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, come on in," Chris answered.

Piper shut the door and leaned against it, crossing her arms. Phoebe sat on the bed next to Valerie and looked to her older sister. Wyatt looked at each person in the room, grunted, and sat in the computer chair.

"What's up?" Chris asked.

"We wanted to talk to you about Matt," Piper said.

"What about him?" Wyatt asked.

"He's a good man, Wyatt. We have known him for many years, and we know that he's a good man. We want you to give him a chance," Piper told her son.

"He's a jerk!" Wyatt exclaimed. "He was beating on Aunt Paige when I walked in!"

"He was what?" Phoebe exclaimed.

"He was hitting her. Well, he was about to hit her if I hadn't walked in," Wyatt told the group in the room.

At that moment Paige walked into the room without knocking. She was walking by and heard the exchange going on and thought it was best to set things straight.

"He wasn't trying to hit me, Wyatt. I was hitting him, he was just trying to restrain me," she told her oldest nephew.

"You were hitting him?" Phoebe asked.

"He knew about the baby," Paige said sadly.

"What baby?" Wyatt asked. Valerie and Chris hadn't had time to bring him up to speed on the intricacies of Matt and Paige's relationship.

"It doesn't matter, Wyatt. He was just defending himself," Paige sighed.

"If you were hitting him then he probably deserved it," Wyatt said icily.

"Wyatt he is only doing his job. He really wants to help you guys," Piper insisted.

"I don't need any help, and he doesn't care about us anyway. I don't even know why he came in the first place," Wyatt said.

"Wyatt," Phoebe said gently, "Trust me when I say I know how he feels. He is very uncomfortable, he's afraid that the three of you won't accept him, and he's hurting as bad as Paige is. He can help all of you if you will just let him, and we will all be here. Leo isn't going anywhere, your mother isn't going anywhere, and neither are me and Paige. The emotions that I picked up on when he came into the room nearly knocked me over, so please just give him a chance."

"Why do you think the elders gave us another Whitelighter?" Valerie asked.

"They always have their reasons," Piper answered. "Even if we don't agree with them."

Wyatt stood up and started pacing the room. He hated all the heartache that the appearance of this man brought into his family. He had just escaped a life of constant battles and power struggles and he had no intention of carrying on the tradition with his new family. The problem was that he truly loved the Haliwells. He did from the moment he laid eyes on them back in the warehouse.

"I wish that it would all just go away!" Wyatt burst out suddenly.

"Wish what would go away Sweetie?" Piper asked.

"Magic. I hate magic! It is sucking the life out of everyone in this house!" he exclaimed in a rage.

"We've all felt that way at one point in time," Piper told him.

"But it's a part of who we are," Paige added.

"Being a Haliwell is definitely hard sometimes," Phoebe said. "But it has its perks too."

"I really don't care," Wyatt said. Then, without a word he orbed away.

"Chris go after him," Valerie exclaimed.

"No," Chris said. "He needs time to himself, besides; he scares me when he gets like that."

"What do you mean? He hasn't been anything but pleasant since he came here," Piper said.

"Yeah? You didn't know him when, now did you?" Chris replied staring at the floor.

"Chris, is there anything you want to tell us?" Piper asked.

"Not really," he said, and then turning to Paige he asked, "Should we give this new guy a chance? If you don't want us to then we'll send him packing."

_**Chapter Eleven**_

Valerie found herself, once again, in the attic trying to find answers. Her notebook and other resources were sill lying on the couch where she had left them earlier. She couldn't understand why she felt so worried about her powers lately. Grams had told her that she would come into them quickly, and that had pacified her for a long time. Lately, though, she felt something deep in the pit of her stomach that hinted that something may be wrong.

Confidence and control were always her strong points. Her mother and father raised her to be proud of who she was, and to never second guess herself. Phoebe raised her to be strong willed and self assured about everything, and Jason taught her that she would never have to live up to anyone's standards. Why, then, was she so worried about her powers?

She had hoped that Chris could help her in some way, but the problems he was having greatly outweighed hers. She didn't want to bother him with something as small as this. Wyatt knew how important it was to her, but he didn't really understand because he wasn't all that interested in magic anyway. Somehow, she knew that Paige could have helped, but she didn't want to add to her aunt's stress on top of this whole ordeal with Matt. She definitely couldn't talk to her father, and she didn't want to worry her mother. Valerie sighed and looked aimlessly through the book.

Perhaps if she summoned Grams again she could get some more guidance. What was the purpose of being a witch if you can't cast a spell once in awhile? Excitedly, she flipped through the pages and found the spell that her mother had told her to read several months before.

"Blood to blood  
I summon thee.  
Blood to blood,  
Return to me."

The air in the center of the room seemed to form a mini tornado, and a shape started to take shape. Valerie prepared a little speech to say to her great grandmother. She would apologize for summoning her, ask her why she hadn't come into her powers, and beg her not to tell her mom and aunts that she had done it. She focused her eyes on the figure that stood before her, but she was at a loss for words.

"Phoebe?" the young woman asked standing before Valerie.

"N-no, I'm Valerie," she stuttered.

"Oh my God, you look just like Phoebe," the woman said taking a step forward.

Valerie's mind was racing. She had intended to summon her great grandmother, but instead this strange woman appeared. She wondered if she had accidentally conjured a demon or something worse. That couldn't be though, because she had cast a blood to blood spell.

"Come closer, let me look at you," the dark haired stranger said to her.

"Who are you?" Valerie asked taking a step back.

"Oh," the woman said, "I'm sorry. I assumed you would know. I'm your mom's sister, Prue."

Valerie cocked her head to one side and looked at the woman. Her Aunt Piper had tried to summon the eldest sister several times after her death with no luck, so how did she suddenly appear now.

"Prue?" Valerie asked.

"Yes," Prue answered smiling sweetly.

"But how?" Valerie wondered out loud.

"Obviously you summoned me," Prue answered with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.

"Yes, I know. But I was trying to summon Grams. Aunt Piper tried to summon you about a thousand times from what I understand, and I don't understand why I succeeded." Valerie rambled.

"When Piper was trying to reach me I wasn't reachable. When you cast the spell, I was reachable. Now, why did you cast the spell?" Prue asked her niece.

"Because I don't have any powers, and I was hoping that Grams could help me figure it out," Valerie answered sadly. She couldn't even cast a spell right!

Prue laughed and put her hand on Valerie's arm. She couldn't believe how much her niece resembled her sister. It was almost as if looking at Phoebe once more. Suddenly, she felt guilty for treating Phoebe as badly as she did just after Grams died. Prue decided to try to help her niece as best she could, even though she didn't know what she could do.

"Grams wouldn't have helped you anyway," Prue told her. "She's really strict about the rules of magic."

"Oh," Valerie said.

"I, on the other hand, will do whatever I can to help."

A huge smile graced Valerie's face and Prue once more saw her youngest sister. "Let's not talk here though. I want to chat with you alone. I love my sisters, and one day I hope to meet Paige, but I think I want to devote the time I've been blessed with just you."

_**Chapter Twelve**_

Prue sat on a park bench enjoying the sunshine on her face while she could. She thought about how she had gotten here, and why. It was obvious that Valerie was more powerful than she realized or else Prue wouldn't be sitting here today.

Prue stretched her hand out in front of her. It was solid and tanned just like the rest of her body. She felt the warmth of the sun, the crisp breeze through her hair, and the hard bench that she sat on. She felt alive again, and a witch without powers couldn't have done that. She tried to remember something that she heard once about the third child, but pushed the thought away as she saw Valerie approaching.

"Hey, how was the drive?" Prue asked standing to meet her.

"Long! Why did you have me drive all the way to Monterey?" Valerie exclaimed pushing her hair back.

"Because, short of Leo, I knew nobody would find us here. That and the fact that I love this park!" Prue smiled.

Valerie gazed past her deceased aunt at her surroundings. Dennis the Menace Park is what the place was called; named after the popular comic strip. The place was huge; it had a lake, swings, slides, teeter totters, and countless places for a young child to explore. Children played tag and their parents kept a watchful, yet amused, eye on them. Valerie was more comfortable here than in the attic for sure. She thanked Prue for thinking ahead and not wanting to be disturbed.

"Not a problem- I have all the time in the world and then some," Prue said. "Now, tell me about yourself."

"Well, I don't have any powers. A demon attacked in the house the other day and Leo had to orb me away to safety. I feel completely useless!" Valerie said.

"No, no. You didn't understand the question," Prue told her niece, "I want you to tell me about yourself. You have powers, I'm proof of that, but something is keeping you back from accessing the active ones. Tell me about yourself, your friends, your lovers, and your life before magic. Maybe we can figure something out from there."

Valerie looked at her aunt. She didn't understand how talking about her upbringing would bring her to her powers, but Prue was technically the eldest Haliwell sister so she must know what she was talking about.

"Well, my full name is Valerie Prudence Haliwell," Valerie paused and observed a distant smile on her aunt's face.

"My mom and dad were together for a little while of my childhood, but nothing that I can remember. He was always really active in my life though. I used to go visit him whenever I wanted, and he would come see me at least once a month if he was working out of the country. I could always tell how much my parents loved each other when they were together, so I couldn't understand why they wouldn't just get it over with and get married. I guess that's just a fantasy most kids have when their parent's aren't together though. Come to find out, Dad just couldn't deal with the whole witchcraft thing. Even after she gave up her powers he was still too afraid that she would take them back one day."

Prue nodded and urged Valerie to go on.

"I was pretty popular all throughout school, but not because of the name I made for myself, but because I was Phoebe Haliwells daughter. It's hard to hide your mother's fame when there are billboards all over town with her face plastered all over them. I remember so many open houses where my friends would say, 'Oh my God, your mom is Phoebe Haliwell'! Duh!" Valerie laughed.

"I've traveled all over the world, and I was studying in Paris when Wyatt was found. Aunt Paige and Sam tracked me down, told me there was a family emergency, and poof I was standing on the doorsteps of the manor. That was the beginning of my life of magic, or lack there of."

"I bet that was exciting... being able to travel all over the world at such a young age," Prue said thoughtfully.

"It was great," Valerie grinned.

"Do you miss it?" Prue asked.

"Sometimes... okay, all the time. I didn't have a care in the world, and I was free to do whatever I pleased."

"And that, my sweet, is your problem," Prue told her niece.

"What do you mean?" Valerie asked.

"Valerie, you are the third child of the power of three, born from the third sister. Do you have any idea how powerful you have the potential to be?" Prue asked.

"In theory, yes. I've read that in the Book, but if that's true then why don't I have any active powers?" Valerie asked.

"Our powers are linked to our emotions. I think maybe you might be afraid to let them go," Prue said. "Think about it. Now you know why your parents couldn't be together, and you watched your mother live a loveless life all through your childhood. You said you feel useless without powers, but you had a wonderful life before magic. I think that maybe you are subconsciously repressing your powers."

"I suppose that's possible," Valerie said slowly as she rolled the theory around in her mind, "but if that is what it is, then how do I fix it?"

"I don't know," Prue said apologetically.

"But I do."

Valerie and Prue turned around to see Matt standing behind them.

Matt stood behind the park bench shifting his weight uncomfortably. He knew that he was intruding, but he had to reach at least one of these kids. Valerie seemed to be the most vulnerable at this point, so he thought it was best to try to help her first. She sat on the park bench with a slightly older woman, and they stared at him blankly.

"What are you doing here?" Valerie said, finally breaking the silence.

"I just want to help," Matt told her.

"Who is this guy?" Prue asked as she looked him up and down approvingly.

"Aunt Paige's ex boyfriend, and my new Whitelighter," Valerie explained.

"Huh?" Prue asked, taking her eyes off Matt's spectacular chest.

"Long story," Matt said, "will you please let me help you, Valerie?"

Valerie looked to Prue for guidance. She didn't know why, but she trusted Matt. Paige had told her and Chris to give him a chance, and she wanted to, but she still needed someone else to tell her that it was okay. She mentally chided herself for acting like a helpless child unable to make decisions for herself.

"What do you plan on doing?" Prue asked Matt.

"I want to help her. Send her on a spiritual journey through her own mind to help her work out her issues," Matt replied.

"How do you plan to do that?" Prue asked. She was intrigued.

"Sort of a mixture of magic and hypnosis. Everything she experiences will during the path she leads will be beneficial to her future," Matt replied.

"What will she see?" Prue wondered.

"That I cannot tell you. She will go on a very private and personal adventure through her subconscious mind, and she will probably meet some spirit guides along the way." Matt replied, sitting next to Prue. It was nice to be able to talk to someone that didn't automatically hate him.

"Will she be hurt in any way?" Prue asked, worried.

"Not physically, but something as deep as this will probably sting a bit emotionally. If it is done right though, she will come out and be fully recovered and capable."

"If it is done right? Are you sure that you can do it right?" Prue asked him.

"Yes, I am sure I can do it right," Matt smiled.

"Hello? I am here you know," Valerie interrupted, plainly annoyed at the exchange taking place.

"I think it's a good idea," Prue told her niece, "What do you have to lose?"

Valerie considered her aunts statement for a minute. She was right, she had nothing to lose. Anything was better than sitting around powerless.

"I'll do it, but only if you promise to help Chris and Wyatt too," She told Matt.

"I can promise to try to help them. It is more of a matter of whether or not they'll let me help them," Matt told her.

Valerie agreed to allow him to help her. Both of her living aunts and her mother had assured her that he would not hurt her, and now her aunt from beyond the grave was on his side. Majority ruled in this situation, and perhaps if he could help her to resolve her power issues, Wyatt and Chris would be more forthcoming.

They agreed to meet back at the manor in three hours. That would give Valerie and Prue time to visit before the two hour drive back to San Francisco. Matt would go back ahead of them and explain to the sisters and Leo what he had planned to do. Hopefully they could persuade Chris and Wyatt to agree to it also.

Valerie watched Matt orb away and felt a huge weight lift off of her shoulders. With any luck, she would know what was going on with her powers before too long. She and Prue sat and chatted about various things, but mostly sat in a comfortable silence. Valerie liked this new aunt that she never met. She knew that Prue would have to go back to the spirit world soon, and she cringed at the thought of it. Hopefully, Prue would have the chance to visit with her younger sisters before she had to go.

Prue decided to ride back in the car to San Francisco rather than astral project back to the manor. She stared out the window as they passed over the Golden Gate Bridge and got lost in the vast waters below her. She loved being alive, and she missed her sisters, but she knew that she didn't belong on this plain much longer. She would try to hang on long enough to see Valerie through her quest, and then it was time to go. Oddly enough, she didn't even want to see Phoebe and Piper as badly as she thought she would. Perhaps she was solely brought here to help her little niece.

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

Matt arrived back at the manor and politely rang the doorbell. Phoebe answered it, looked at him for a long moment, and stepped aside to let him in. She led him into the conservatory where Piper, Leo, and Paige all sat talking to another woman. Matt noticed that Piper and Phoebe looked a little upset, but Paige seemed to be glowing.

"Matt!" Paige said in a bubbly voice, "This is Mrs. Winterbourne."

Matt stepped forward and kissed the woman's hand. She glanced up at him with the usually look of approval in her eyes. Matt blushed.

"Nice to meet you, Maam," Matt said quietly, and then added, "Should I wait in the other room?"

"Heavens no!" Mrs. Winterbourne exclaimed, "I was just leaving. Paige, please consider my offer."

Paige nodded and led Mrs. Winterbourne out of the conservatory. They paused at the door that had magically appeared at the landing of the stairs to say their goodbyes. Paige hugged the woman tightly and promised to get back in touch with her soon.

"Are you going to do it?" Phoebe asked Paige as she walked back into the room.

"Well, it's nice to know that I'm still wanted," Paige answered smiling.

"Do what?" Matt asked automatically. "Oh, I'm sorry," he added. "It's none of my business."

"Did you find the kids?" Leo asked Matt trying to change the subject. He could see how upset Piper was getting.

"I tracked Valerie down in Monterey," Matt told the room.

"In Monterey?" Phoebe exclaimed, "What on earth was she doing there?"

"Talking with-" Matt paused, "a friend. Anyway, she agreed to let me help her and possibly get to the root of her magic block."

Matt explained to the sisters and Leo what he planned to do; just like he had explained to Prue only an hour before. Piper and Paige listened intently, Leo nodded approvingly, but Phoebe looked concerned. Valerie was her only child, and she didn't want any harm to come to her, emotionally, physically, or magically.

"I want to be there," Phoebe stated.

"Of course, we'll all be here," Piper told her.

"Well, I'd rather no outside distractions for her..." Matt said trailing off. He didn't want to upset the family, but it was best if Valerie didn't have anyone else around.

"No, you're not doing it unless I can stay here," Phoebe told him.

"Phoebe, it's alright. Leo will be here, and they can call Paige if anything goes wrong. We're only an orb away," Piper told her middle sister.

A mixture of annoyance and anger crossed Phoebes face, but Paige agreed, and so she resigned to let the Whitelighters have it their way. Matt stirred uncomfortably and looked around trying to find the right words.

"What?" Phoebe asked him.

"I kind of want to do this by myself, you know, to prove to them that I am capable? Having Leo here will just prove, especially to the boys, that I'm in need of a babysitter," he told them in a sheepish voice.

Piper started to say something, but Leo laid his hand on her shoulder. He knew that Matt was right, and he also understood how hard it was to gain the trust of new charges.

"Piper, we have a date tonight remember?" Leo asked.

"Yes, but-" Piper started.

"And I have some things to take care of," Paige stated. She knew that Matt was completely trustworthy and wanted to prove to him that she had faith in him.

"I'm not going anywhere if you three are leaving," Phoebe said. She looked at Matt and softened her voice. "It's not that I don't trust you, Matt. It's just that Valerie is my only child, and she's my life. I just want to be there for her. I'm her mother, please let me stay."

Valerie pulled the car into the driveway in front of the manor. She glanced to where he aunt was once sitting. They were talking the whole ride home, but as they neared their destination Prue started dematerializing. At first, Valerie started to get scared, but Prue just explained that the magic was wearing off and it was time to go. Valerie had hoped that Prue would be able to stay with her, but she understood that everything happened for a reason. She put the car into park, set the emergency break, looked up at the front doors, and sighed.

She found her mother and Matt in the kitchen chatting at the table. They both looked up to greet her as she walked in. Valerie noticed a sweet smell filling the air and noticed three half full mason jars sitting on the counter.

"It's a tea," Phoebe told her. Valerie nodded.

"Where's your friend," Matt asked her.

"She had to go. She had other things to attend to I guess," She answered. Matt nodded understandably.

"Where are Chris and Wyatt?" Valerie asked.

"Chris went to look for Wyatt and they aren't answering our calls. I'm sure they're fine," Phoebe told her.

"Are you ready?" Matt asked her.

Valerie nodded, and she headed upstairs to her bedroom with her mother. Matt grabbed one of the jars, took a deep breath, said a little prayer, and followed. Once Valerie was situated and comfortable, Matt handed her the opened jar and instructed her to sip it slowly. As she did, she felt herself getting a little sleepy. She finished the rest off in a big gulp and laid back comfortably into the fluffy pillows. She felt a little nervous and tried to fight off the sleep. Her eyes were heavy, but she did her best to keep them open. Her mind filled with what if's and second thoughts.

"Relax Valerie," she heard Matt telling her, "You'll be alright. Your mother is still here; she's sitting right next to you." Valerie felt someone squeeze her hand and smelled her mother's familiar perfume.

Valerie found herself looking over the manor. Her body felt weightless and she couldn't seem to get control of her limbs. She started to panic, but she caught a whiff of her mom's perfume. She knew that Phoebe was in the house, and wanted desperately to get to her. She willed herself down to the front door of the manor, and it opened on it's own in front of her.

Instead of finding the familiar foyer, she was confronted with darkness. She could tell that it was a hallway from the dim light that shone through from behind her. Valerie walked slowly down the dark corridor. All around her was blackness, and she reached her hands to feel the walls as a guide. She felt as if her feet were hardly touching the ground, yet something pulled her down this long hall. Ahead in the distance was a sparkle of light and a muffled voice.

"Hello?" she called. Her own voice echoed back to her.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Please?" she called again. All she heard were her own pleas bouncing off the walls back at her.

She was sure she heard voices though, almost positive so she pushed on. Her curiosity was stronger than the cold fear she felt in the pit of her gut. Something deep inside her told her that she must find who the voice belonged to. They were in need of her help. Who were '_they' _though?

Valerie's mind was racing. She couldn't understand what was happening. She was the youngest of the Haliwell line, the daughter of the middle sister, Phoebe. The day her powers were restored she summoned her great grandmother from beyond the grave. She told Valerie that she would come into her powers quickly, but six months later she still had no powers. How could she help these people if she had no power? Where was her mother, her aunts, her cousins?

Someone was behind her. She felt warm, wet breath on her neck but she couldn't turn her head to see who it was. Little beads of sweat formed on her upper lip and she felt her hair sticking to her temples.

"Who's there?" she whispered.

The only response she got was the hot breath once again on the back of her neck. She realized that she wasn't hot until she felt whoever it was behind her. She wanted desperately to turn around and face her stalker, or perhaps to run to where she heard the voices from. She gathered all her strength and turned around but she saw nothing but blackness.

Suddenly she felt something cold on her face. She felt a pressure around her waist and she screamed. She felt pressure on her wrists, her shoulders, and her legs as if she was being restrained. Her body thrashed about, she bucked her narrow hips and squirmed trying to get away from her attackers.

She felt herself being lifted and carried down the hallway. Terror filled her soul and she felt like crying out in desperation for her father. She continued to try to fight off her attackers but they were too strong. Finally she gave up and relaxed into the arms of the one that carried her down the dark hall and closed her eyes.

"Open your eyes, Valerie," she heard a voice say. She opened her eyes and blinked against the sudden light. Prue stood before her smiling serenely. "Didn't expect to see me again so soon did you?" her aunt asked.

Valerie tried to get her bearings. She was now standing on a mountain side. All around her she could see the California countryside. Below her all she could see were trees and foliage.

"Look what I have," Prue told her, holding something cupped in her hands.

Valerie took a step closer to inspect it. A small white bird sat calmly in the palms of her aunt. Its dark eyes looked up at her curiously and it cooed softly at her. It stretched its wings out as if to show her the long soft feathers it possessed. Valerie longed to hold it.

"Her name is Saoirse, it means freedom. She's my gift to you. Take her," Prue offered holding the tiny bird out to Valerie.

Valerie's hand was trembling as she reached her finger out to the small creature. Saoirse hopped gently onto Valerie's finger and cocked her head to one side as if to examine her new friend. Valerie stroked the bird's breast and it started to sing a beautiful song. Valerie felt tears of joy and closed her eyes to listen to the birds chirping.

"Valerie look," Prue told her. Valerie opened her eyes and noticed that the bird was gone. She looked up to see Saoirse flying in lazy, swooping circles above her head.

"Oh, Aunt Prue I'm sorry. I let her go, and she was such a beautiful gift," Valerie said sadly looking at her aunt.

"Go get her," Prue urged.

"But how?" Valerie asked. "She's flying way up there, and I'm down here."

"You can do it," Prue called over her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Valerie asked half panicked as she watched her aunt make her way down the mountainside.

"It's time for me to go for now, go get that bird," Prue answered as she disappeared behind a tree.

"Saoirse," Valerie called. "Come here Saoirse."

The creature continued to fly in wide lazy circles. She coasted with the wind beneath her wings and looked curiously down at Valerie. Finally, she came down and landed on Valerie's shoulder. A song filled Valerie's ears and the bird once more took flight. Valerie reached her hand up as if to catch the bird, and found herself suspended in midair. She saw a speck of white flash in her peripheral vision, and turned to see the bird. It was a small distance away, gaining speed as she flew toward the east.

The bird was flying freely across the countryside. Valerie smiled as she started to realize the significance of the gift. Free as a bird, she thought, and Saoirse meant freedom. She turned and chased after the bird. She felt the wind whipping through her hair as she gained speed and finally caught up with her tiny pet.

Saoirse perched herself on a tree branch and waited calmly for Valerie. Valerie sat down next to the bird and sighed, breathless with exhilaration.

"Come here, little birdie," Valerie said holding her hand out. The bird hopped up into Valerie's palm and nestled down for a nap.

Valerie sat on the branch peering out over the landscape. She felt totally at ease and happy. She had been set free, but she wondered why she was still here. She felt the earth start to rumble and watched the trees shake.

'An earthquake?' she thought to herself. Saoirse awoke in the palm of her hand and fluttered around anxiously around her. Valerie reached up trying to grab the little bird to keep it safe, but she lost her balance and started to fall.

She let out a shrill scream as she felt her body pushed to the ground by gravity and landed with a thud on the hard ground. She looked up to see a small child sitting alone in what appeared to be a bed in a doctor's office.

The little girl wore a blank expression on her face and stared into space. Valerie approached her and reached out to touch her satiny soft blond hair. The little girl didn't look at Valerie, but she flinched at Valerie's touch.

"It's okay, little one, I won't hurt you," Valerie told her softly.

Valerie pulled the wheeled doctors chair that sat next to the desk in front of the little girl. She examined her closely and wondered why this child was all by herself. She was a beautiful child about six years old. Her dark blond hair was smooth and shiny, and it hung just below her shoulders. Her skin was lightly sun kissed, giving her a golden glow. A tiny little beauty mark graced the left side of her upper full, pouty, little girl lips. The eyes the stared out into nowhere were a deep hazel green with golden specks all throughout them. Her long little fingers were clasped together in her lap, and she sat up straight and rigid as if expecting something horrible to happen. Valerie reached out and stroked the little girl's soft, chubby cheek.

"What is your name, Sweetie," she asked.

The little girl's eyes wavered for just a moment to look at Valerie, but she didn't say anything. Valerie felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around to see who was there. She was angry that this child had been left alone, and planned to berate whoever was in the room now for leaving this sweet, innocent little soul by herself.

A beautiful woman stood behind her. Long brown hair flowed down her face and behind her back. She had soft eyes and an inviting smile. She was thin and had a maternal look about her. Valerie knew this woman; she had seen her in many pictures throughout her life.

"Grandma Patty?" Valerie asked in shock.

"Yes," Patty answered.

Valerie looked at her grandmother and a thousand questions filled her mind. Patty had died when Phoebe was only a child, yet she stood in front of Valerie hopefully yielding answers. Valerie looked back to the child.

"What is wrong with her?" Valerie asked.

"Nobody knows, she hasn't spoken in a month," Patty answered. "You can help her though."

"How?" Valerie asked, perplexed.

"Take her hand," Patty offered.

Valerie leaned forward and took both of the little girl's hands in her own. Suddenly she was thrown into such a violent fit of emotion that she let go and pushed herself away. Valerie looked at Patty with fear in her eyes.

"Help her," Patty told her. "You are strong enough to do it, but she isn't. You have to channel it for her and help her to see."

Valerie nodded and took the little girl into her arms. She felt as if someone had stabbed her in the heart. She saw the little girl playing in a yard somewhere in the suburbs. A man was standing at the sliding glass door calling to her; Jesse was her name.

Jesse smiled and ran to the man that was her uncle. Valerie got the impression that she loved this man dearly, but hadn't seen him in quite a while. Jesse ran to him and he swooped her up in his arms. He kissed Jesse on the cheek and they went inside. Valerie watched as the uncle showed little Jesse a brown hamster. He placed a little bowl of food pellets in front of it and it started eating it hungrily. Jesse was beside herself with joy, but Valerie watched in horror as the little hamster started spinning around in circles and then collapsed dead, foaming at the mouth.

"The same thing will happen to you if you tell anybody," the uncle told Jesse.

Valerie awoke from her trance in tears. She held little Jesse close to her and stroked her hair. Valerie wanted to hunt the man down and kill him, but she knew that she couldn't do it. She felt Jesse trembling in her lap and held her tighter.

"Shhh. It's going to be alright. You didn't do anything bad, but you have to tell your mommy what happened, okay?" Valerie told her softly as she stroked her hair.

"Saoirse," Valerie called. The little bird fluttered down to Valerie's shoulder and looked at her knowingly.

"You know what I need you to do," Valerie told the little bird. Saoirse drifted down into Jesse's hands and looked curiously up at her. Jesse smiled and pet her softly on the top of the head. Saoirse cooed softly and Valerie set Jesse back up on the table.

Valerie turned to Patty with tears still in her eyes. "Was that real?" she asked her grandmother.

"Everything you experience on this journey is real," Patty told her.

"So premonition is my active power?" Valerie asked.

"A premonition is foresight," Patty explained. "You just saw what happened in the past. You will be able to see the past, the future, and the present. Your mother's gifts of empathy and premonition were combined when she passed them down to you, but those aren't the only powers you have dear."

"What else do I have?" Valerie asked.

"You've already experienced one, when you were chasing after the bird. The last is a path you have yet to take," Patty answered.

"Will you stay with me?" Valerie asked, half already knowing the answer.

"I'll stay with you until you get there, but you have to finish on your own. You know that," Patty answered.

"But where do I go from here?" Valerie asked looking around the tiny office.

"The answers are in the hall. Come, I'll take you there."

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

Chris found Wyatt back at his old apartment. He was in the back room beating a tattered punching bag without mercy. Wyatt took out all of his frustrations on the bag with each furious blow. Sweat was soaking through his shirt, and his hair was drenched in perspiration. White Zombie blared from a portable c.d. player that sat in the corner. Chris leaned against the wall, and watched his brother with crossed arms.

"How long are you going to ignore me?" Chris asked.

"How long are you going to stand there?" Wyatt answered not turning around.

"I've got all day," Chris answered calmly. He flinched as Wyatt threw a furious fist into the center of the punching bag.

"What are you doing here?" Wyatt asked as he jabbed the bag in quick short punches.

"Looking for you. Everybody is really worried," Chris answered.

Wyatt sighed and grabbed a towel that was draped across a chair. Chris wrinkled his nose because it looked as if it hadn't been washed in quite awhile. Wyatt grinned wiped his face.

"Sorry about that little outburst back there," Wyatt said into the towel, "I've just completely had it."

"With what?" Chris asked.

"What do you think? With magic, of course. Look at all of the pain it has caused everyone in that family. Paige is heartbroken; I can see it all over her face. Phoebe has lived a loveless life due to magic. Our parents had to bury both of us at one point in time--"

"Technically, they didn't bury me," Chris said matter of factly.

"You know what I mean," Wyatt told him. "I loved my cousin, Greg, but not as much as I love you little brother. Magic destroyed Greg and I had to watch him die. You said that in an alternate reality, magic destroyed me and you were afraid of me. Now, in the effort you made to save me from that evil, you are suffering the consequences of time travel and you feel as if you are losing your mind. What is the point? Magic does nothing good for anyone; it only destroys the good in people's lives."

"Greg was an Avatar. I know that he wasn't evil, but he wasn't good either. It wasn't magic that destroyed him, it was Excalibur that took him over. I'll never regret going to the past to save you, Wyatt. If that means I have to remember what you were like then; it just means that I can appreciate you more now," Chris told his brother.

"Excalibur," Wyatt said as he sat down on the chair, "The sword that I am supposed to possess. It was supposed to be meant for me, but have you noticed I have never touched it? The thing scares the crap out of me."

Chris leaned his head against the wall and looked up to the ceiling. "Quit beating around the bush, Wyatt. What are you saying?"

"I'm denouncing magic from my life. What you and Val decide to do is solely up to you, but I am going to ask Mom and Dad to strip mine," Wyatt answered, firmly but quietly.

Chris felt his stomach drop to his knees. He found it hard to breathe, but he found the strength to look his brother in the eye. Wyatt sat tensely on the chair awaiting his younger brother's response. Chris had come to understand all the pain and suffering that Wyatt had experienced do to magic, and so he couldn't find it in his heart to argue the issue.

"Are you sure?" Chris asked. "You know you'll be left completely defenseless."

"I've been thinking about it for awhile, Chris. I am sure, and I won't have any reason to defend myself. Demons and warlocks and all those other evil beings won't want anything to do with me once my power is gone," Wyatt answered.

"Don't be so sure about that, but if this is what you really want to do I'll support you," Chris told his brother. Chris would never allow anything bad to happen to Wyatt. He didn't in the past, and he wouldn't in the future.

"I think I need a shower," Wyatt said rising to his feet.

"I do too," Chris said teasingly as Wyatt walked by him. He was trying to lighten the mood, and it made Wyatt grin once more. Chris, however, didn't feel much better. Chris walked over to the punching bag once he heard the water start running. He gathered all of his strength and punched it square in the middle.

"Ow," he mumbled rubbing his knuckles.

"Chris," he heard from behind. He turned around to see Valerie standing there. She had a strange glow around her and her eyes seemed to be void of expression.

"Come home to the manor now," she told him and then she was gone.

"VALERIE!" Chris exclaimed, and then orbed home to the manor without saying anything to Wyatt.

Chris arrived in the foyer of the manor. His heart was pounding and he was on the verge of panic. He looked around desperately for his younger cousin.

"Valerie!" he called.

"She's in her room," Matt replied from the kitchen.

Chris sprinted up the stairs, skipping two at a time. Once he got to the landing he broke into a full run. He had to grab the door jam of Valerie's room to stop himself.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Valerie sat up in her bed propped up by half a dozen pillows. Her face was pale, but her eyes were bright and sparkling. Phoebe sat beside her holding both of her hands in her own. They both looked up at him and smiled.

"I take it you got my message?" Valerie asked grinning.

"Yeah, what's the mat--" Chris paused, "Wait, did you just astral project?"

Valerie went into a fit of giggles and laid her head back onto the pillows. Phoebe smiled broadly and nodded an answer to her nephew. Chris could tell that his aunt was visibly relieved.

"You came into your powers?" Chris asked as a smile started to come across his face.

"Apparently, they've been there all along. I just needed to free myself and allow them to come to me," Valerie answered squeezing her mother's hand.

"That's great, Val!" Chris said as he walked over to the bed. He leaned down and hugged her tightly. He was thankful for this bit of good news.

"So you can astral project," he said sitting down opposite Phoebe.

"Yeah! And I have empa-nition too!" Valerie replied excitedly.

"Empa-what?" Chris asked.

"That's what I said too," Phoebe said laughing.

"I'm not very sure about that one. Grandma Patty said that my mom's empathy and premonition combined together. I can see into the past, and into the future," Valerie paused and added sadly, "and I can feel it as if I were experiencing it myself."

"Oh," Chris said. "But that's great Valerie! This is really great news! Congratulations!" Chris playfully tousled Valerie's dark hair. He was genuinely happy for his cousin.

"Oh," Valerie said, "There's one more tiny, little, insignificant power..."

"No powers are insignificant, Valerie. What is it?" Chris asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Oh, it's kind of like my moms levitation," then raising her voice with excitement she added, "Only I can fly!"

"Oh!" Chris exclaimed. "How cool is that!"

Valerie nodded enthusiastically. He could tell that she was very happy, and he was happy for her. At least one of the three of them had finally worked something out.

"He can help you too," Phoebe said breaking into his thoughts.

"How do you do that?" he asked. "And who can help me?"

"Him," Phoebe answered. She pointed to Matt who had just come into the room, holding yet another half full mason jar.

"What do you say, Chris? Are you up for a little adventure?" Matt asked somewhat nervously.

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

Chris stood in the center of a round room. The walls were silvery white and black doors surrounded him. He spun in circles trying to find a way out. Finally, he chose a random door and opened it. It led to yet another door. He fervishly opened every door, but they all led to another.

"You'll never find your way out like that," he heard a woman's voice say.

Chris spun around to see who was with him and realized he was once again in the center of the round room. Nobody was with him as far as he could see. He spun around again with his arms spread out as if to try to touch the entity that was in his company.

"Show yourself!" he demanded.

"I can't until you allow me to," the soft voice said to him.

"Well, I'm allowing you. Now let me see you!"

"You have to calm down. I am here to help you, let your fears slip away and I can reveal myself to you." he heard her say.

Chris stopped spinning and sat cross legged on the floor feeling defeated. He didn't know where he was or how he got here, and now the only hope he had was an invisible woman. He looked up to the sky and felt his eyes welling up with tears.

"How?" he asked into the air.

"Release yourself," she answered.

Chris took a deep breath and closed his eyes. As he exhaled he imagined all the things that ran through his mind escaping his body. He felt as if his entire body was lightened and when he opened his eyes the woman that spoke to him was standing before him.

She stood before him with her hand outstretched. She smiled gently at him as he gazed up at her beauty. Her blond hair was loose over her bare shoulders, and her lightly tanned skin seemed to glow under the light. He couldn't help but to stare at her long shapely legs that peeked through the slit in her long silky gown that matched the blue in her eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked taking her hand. He allowed her to pull him and they stood just inches from one another. He still held her hand; he had a feeling that he would never want to let it go.

"My name is Alana. I will guide you through your journey, but only when you are ready," she replied.

"I wouldn't be here unless I was ready would I?" he snapped, letting go of her hand.

She stood still and looked at him gently. "If you were ready; I wouldn't be here."

Chris was taken by her beauty. She had a calming effect about her presence, and he felt more at ease having her near. She stepped forward and took both his hands in hers. He looked at her searching for answers of questions he didn't know.

"I'm sorry," he offered.

She smiled at him and nodded gently.

"Come," she told him as she led him to a door.

"It's useless, they don't lead anywhere," Chris said. "I already tried."

"Open it again," she told him.

Chris opened one of the doors and suddenly he was confronted with a painful memory. He stood watching a younger version of himself and Wyatt playing in the living room of the manor. Wyatt took one of Pipers plants and threw it on the floor. The pot shattered and soil spilled everywhere. Leo came rushing in and immediately looked at Chris. Little Chris tried to explain to his father what had happened to no avail. Leo took the younger of the two children and sat him on the couch. Young Wyatt stood innocently watching his brother cry while Leo berated him.

"It wasn't me!" older Chris yelled at the memory. "Just listen, it wasn't me!"

Alana squeezed his hand and Chris directed his attention to her.

"It wasn't me," he told her weakly. She nodded at him understandingly and pointed again to Chris's memory.

Leo left the room, leaving the young Chris on the couch crying. Alana and older Chris followed Leo up the stairs. Leo walked into his room, unaware of his audience, and sat on the bed. He picked up a framed picture on the nightstand of him, Piper, and Chris. He set the picture back down and sighed.

"He feels bad?" Chris asked Alana.

"What do you think," she asked.

Chris saw a single tear run down Leo's cheek. It angered him to see his father this way, and he couldn't understand why. Chris shut the bedroom door and he and Alana were once again in the round room.

"What is this place?" he asked her.

"All of these doors open to one of your emotional battles. You must open them all, confront them, and then close the door once and for all." she answered.

Chris felt panic start to boil deep in his gut. There were too many. He couldn't handle reliving all of these memories again, especially like this. He wondered what Matt was thinking when he sent him on this quest. This couldn't possibly help him.

"Don't worry," she told him squeezing his hand, "I'll be with you. Not all of the memories are bad, but you will have to shut the door on them to be able to move onto the next."

She motioned toward the doors once more. Chris noticed that the one he had just opened was gone. He looked at her for clarification, and she nodded.

"When you're ready," she told him gently.

Chris stepped forward and opened another door. He was watching himself maneuver through a crowded cafeteria. It was his first day and San Francisco State and he remembered how nervous he was. His heart skipped a beat as he watched himself bump into a lovely woman. Her face went blank with shock as her pink yogurt splattered onto her yellow blouse.

"Bianca," he said quietly.

"She's lovely," Alana told him.

Chris nodded but didn't peel his eyes away from the vision of his lost love. She was more beautiful than he remembered. He laughed at himself as he fumbled his way through an apology; and he cheered himself on as he insisted on a date. He watched himself walk to a nearby table, carrying Bianca's book bag, to sit down and eat.

"See, I told you they weren't all bad," Alana's voice broke through, "but you have to let go to be able to move on."

"Not right now, just let me watch a few more minutes," Chris pleaded.

"It's time to go now, Chris. This is another time; we don't belong here any longer," she told him.

Chris nodded sadly and allowed Alana to lead him toward the cafeteria doors. He took one last glance back at his former self. He saw Bianca laughing at something he had said, and he chided himself for the look of boyish nervousness that was across his face. He shut the glass door behind him and prepared himself to open another door.

Chris found himself facing more than he thought possible. Alana led him through each door, one by one, allowing him to soak it up from an outsider's point of view. She never said too much, but knowing that she was there was comforting to him.

"I don't know about this door," Chris told her.

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't know, I've got a bad feeling about this one," he replied, "Can I just skip it?"

"You can for now, but you will have to face it eventually. We can't leave this place until all the doors have been shut."

Chris hadn't thought about leaving. He was afraid when he first got here, but now that Alana was by his side he felt safe and secure. Once the last door was shut he would leave this place, and he wondered if he would ever see her again. He squeezed her hand again and reached for the doorknob.

Chris and Alana found themselves in a dark cave. He watched as Leo pleaded with him to stop.

"Chris, this isn't you," Leo was saying.

"Want to bet?" the other Chris said as he punched his father.

Chris flinched and turned his head. He remembered this all too well, and he didn't want to watch it again. Alana stepped closer to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. He buried his face in her hair and felt his eyes filling with tears. She patted his chest softly.

"You have to deal with this, Chris." She prompted.

Chris watched as Leo taunted him; trying to make Chris face his anger. He watched as he threw his father across the cave, flinched as Leo landed with a thud, and once again closed his eyes as he watched his fists come in contact with his fathers face.

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

"What the hell is going on in here?" Wyatt exclaimed.

He had gotten out of the shower about five minutes after Chris had left. He wondered if his younger brother was truly upset at him for deciding to abandon his destiny, and so he drove back to the manor to find him. He wanted to make sure that he and Chris would still be okay after the fact. Instead, he found Phoebe, Valerie, and Matt sitting calmly in Valerie's room.

Chris was on the bed in what seemed like a deep trance. He was shaking his head back and forth on the pillows violently; his whole body stiff and rigid. Although his eyes were open, they didn't seem to see anything that was going on in the room. His eyes were still open, but his pupils were as tiny as pinpricks.

"Chris! Wake up!" Wyatt said desperately. "Let's get out of here."

"He can't hear you right now," Matt told Wyatt gently. "He is in his own world."

"What did you do to my brother?" Wyatt raged.

"I'm helping him. He is dealing with his own inner demons," Matt replied. Wyatt was going to be the hardest to get close to, and he was prepared for that.

"Look at him! How can you be allowing this?" Wyatt asked Phoebe in a rage.

"He wanted to do it, Wyatt. He needed to. He is going to be okay," Phoebe answered softly.

She stood up and took a step toward Wyatt. His gaze, however, was on his baby brother. Wyatt watched in horror as Chris's back arched off the bed. His hands clinched into tight fists and his body started to shake as if he were having a seizure. Wyatt ran to the side of the bed and fell to his knees. He laid his hands on Chris's chest, felt tears welling up in his eyes, and called out his younger brother's name.

"Do you call this okay?" he shot at Phoebe as Chris's body started to relax. "He's having convulsions! He's not even conscious!"

Wyatt stood up and turned to Matt. "If anything happens to my brother, I swear I will make you pay!"

"Wyatt, he's helping him. Let him help you too," Valerie pleaded.

Wyatt surveyed the room. His aunt and cousin were sitting there calmly while Chris was having some sort of supernatural episode. They had sided with this new Whitelighter sent to replace his father, and now they were trying to convince him to do the same.

"Who are you people?" Wyatt asked as he backed toward the door. "Don't worry Chris, I'll find Mom and Dad."

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

"Why is he just taking it?" Chris asked Alana.

"Because he loves you," She answered.

"But, he only just found out who I was at that point," Chris answered.

"Doesn't matter," she told him. "Look."

Chris watched as the scene changed to him sitting on the Golden Gate Bridge. Leo orbed in and tried to reach him.

"Maybe you didn't just come back to save Wyatt, but to save us too?" Leo was asking.

"YES!" Chris was shouting at his father, but he watched in despair as he orbed away after a few harsh words to his father.

He turned desperately to Alana. "There are no doors here! I want to close this door!"

She looked at him sadly. "Not yet."

The bridge faded and he found himself standing in Pipers bedroom. She was seated on the couch and had Leo in her arms. He was crying, tears flowing openly, and he rubbed her pregnant belly. Piper looked down at him and stroked his hair gently.

"Shhh..." she was telling his father, "It's going to be alright. You'll get a second chance with him."

Leo didn't seem to hear. Chris watched as his father stroked his mothers belly with him inside.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I promise, I will do better. I'm so sorry," Leo was saying to him through Pipers stomach.

"Dad," Chris cried. "I'm the one that should be sorry! I didn't give you a chance back then, I'm sorry!"

He watched as Leo sat up and looked Piper in the eye. "I will do better by him Piper, I promise."

Piper nodded and watched Leo orb away. She got up, and unknowingly shut the door in Chris and Alana's faces.

Chris leaned against the wall. His heart was racing, he was gasping for air, and his forehead was covered in beads of sweat. He felt his knees go weak and he lowered himself to a kneeling position. He let the tears flow openly and Alana knelt at his side to comfort him.

"I was such a monster!" Chris mumbled.

"You were attacked by a spider demon, it wasn't your fault," she offered.

"I wasn't completely taken by the spider demon. I was completely taken with my own inner demons. He didn't know what he had done; I didn't give him a chance." Chris once again broke into sobs.

"Chris, I've ventured through every other memory of yours with you. You are not a monster. You were hurt, and confused, and under the influence," she told him softly.

He looked up at her through his tears. Her face was only inches from his and he longed to hold her in his arms. Her blue eyes were soft with emotion and her hair fell loosely in her face. He reached out with his fingertips and pushed it behind her ear.

"Are you real?" he asked gently.

"I'm as real as you are," she answered breathlessly.

Chris could feel the intensity in the situation he was in. Every ounce of his being ached to pull her close to him. He sensed somehow that she felt the same so he reached behind her neck and pulled her face to his.

He pressed his lips against hers and she returned the hungry kiss. He felt her hands on his chest as she raised them slowly up to his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist. She pulled him closer to her as he kissed down the side of her neck. She cupped his face in her hands and looked him in the eyes.

"Are you sure that you're ready?" She asked him.

Chris nodded and she allowed him to unleash his darkest fears, happiest moments, and most intense passion in this moment of suspended time.

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

Wyatt sped down the highway toward P3. He was desperate to find his parents and put a stop to whatever it was that Matt was doing to his brother. Once they found out what the new Whitelighter was doing they would put a stop to it, he was sure of it. He pulled the car into the full parking lot of the club and came to a screeching halt. He did a quick survey of all the cars, looking for his mothers, as he walked in the door. He didn't see it but pushed past the bouncer at the door anyway. Being the owners long lost son had its perks!

"MIKE!" he called leaning halfway over the bar. The bartender looked up and nodded his head at Wyatt in way of a greeting. Mike was busy though, and so he turned his back on him to tend to a customer.

"MIKE!" Wyatt repeated.

"Just a sec," Mike replied, somewhat annoyed. The place was packed, Piper wasn't coming in, and he had two bartenders call off. It wasn't that he disliked the Haliwell kids; he just wasn't in the mood to deal with anything.

"Hey man," Mike said wiping his hands on a towel, "I can't squeeze Sky Clad in tonight, I'm overbooked."

"Huh?" Wyatt asked. Sky Clad was his band and they played there frequently, but only at Piper's request. Mike, too, had begged them to fill more than once when a band failed to show.

"I don't want to play tonight. Where is my mom?" Wyatt answered, somewhat insulted by Mike's statement.

"Oh, she's not here tonight. She called to tell me that she and Leo had a date and that she wouldn't be reachable all night," Mike answered feeling like a jerk.

"Where did they go?" Wyatt's voice was starting to show his state of panic.

"I'm not sure," Mike told him. Then seeing the look of dismay on Wyatt's face he added, "Leo told me a few days ago about a concert on the pier. He really wanted to go, but I'm not sure if that was tonight."

"Thanks Mike," Wyatt called as he headed toward the door. He paused halfway between the dance floor and the bar, made a left, and headed into the storage room. He would be without powers soon enough, but he may as well use them while he could. The pier was a good thirty to forty-five minutes away.

Wyatt orbed himself under the pier. Above him, he could hear muffled laughter and the sound of music playing. That must have meant the concert was tonight, and that he had a good chance of finding his parents. He looked around nervously to see if anyone had seen him, and silently thanked God that he had not exposed magic.

He ran up the sandy beach to the entrance of the pier. He strode quickly through the crowd, not noticing the several people that he nearly bulled over. He got to the cluster of people that were surrounding the gazebo where the concert was set up. Apparently, most of the people had gone and he didn't see his parents anywhere. He turned around and started looking into the shops. He felt particularly drawn to a little shop towards the end of the boardwalk. He dipped inside and made his way to the back. A young woman was standing in the back facing him. She held Excalibur in her hands.

"Where did you get that?" Wyatt asked his eyes wide.

"I brought it to you," she answered softly, holding the weapon out to him.

"I don't want it," Wyatt replied turning around to leave.

"You must take it. You have waited too long," she told him firmly.

Wyatt spun around and faced the pretty young blond. "I said I don't want it."

"You need to take it, Wyatt." She told him.

"I need to find my parents," Wyatt responded furiously.

"They're on the beach," She replied. Wyatt ran out of the little shop, leaving the woman with Excalibur behind. He absently thought how stupid it was to leave the sword in the hands of a stranger, but finding Chris and putting a stop to Matt was more important.

_**Chapter Nineteen**_

Chris leaned against the wall with Alana in his arms. He breathed in the sweet fragrance of her hair and kissed her cheek. She nuzzled close and pulled his arms closer to her.

"Only one more door," she told him.

"It's not a memory is it," Chris asked sadly.

"No, it's not. Your journey is complete."

Chris pulled her closer and sighed into her hair. When he first came here; he thought that his greatest fear would be facing his memories. But now, what he feared most was leaving this woman behind.

"I don't want to go," he told her.

"You must, Chris. Your destiny awaits you."

"You said you are as real as I am, does that mean I will see you again?" he asked desperately.

"Only time will tell, my love. I must leave you now."

Alana stood and once again helped Chris to his feet. She led him to the final door and reached up on tip toe to kiss him one last time.

"You are ready," she told him.

When Chris opened the door he found himself looking up at his Aunt Phoebe. She was holding a cool washcloth to his forehead and looking down at him with concerned eyes. Chris blinked his brilliant green eyes a few times to focus and sat up. Valerie appeared next to him and hugged him tightly.

"Where's Matt," Chris asked looking around the room.

"Right here," Matt replied from the corner.

"Get Paige, we need to find Wyatt," Chris told him.

"What's wrong?" Phoebe asked sensing the stress in Chris's voice.

"I don't know, but I can feel him. We need to get to him, now!" Chris replied getting up from the bed.

"Chris you need to rest," Valerie protested.

"I'm fine, but Wyatt isn't. Something is wrong, I can feel it." Chris replied.

_**Chapter Twenty**_

Wyatt kneeled in the sand next to his parents. Piper's breathing was shallow and her body was still. Leo was non responsive lying on his side with an arrow sticking out of his back.

"Don't touch it," Piper whispered as he reached for the arrow.

Wyatt drew his hand back and relived what he had seen only moments before. He had run from the shop onto the beach and surveyed the abandoned coast. In the distance he caught a glimpse of two sillouttes illuminated by the full moons light. He broke into a run to catch up with what had to be his parents.

He slowed his pace a little about 100 yards away. Piper and Leo were sharing a tender moment. Piper had her shoes in one hand, and held Leo's hand with the other. Their pants were rolled up and the waves of low tide were lapping softly against their feet. Wyatt was touched at the tender moment as Leo bent down to kiss Piper gently on the lips.

Suddenly, a man shimmered in behind them. He was aiming a crossbow straight at Leo's back. Wyatt yelled out a warning as the arrow flew through the air and pierced Leo between the shoulder blades. His body tensed, and he fell to his knees. Piper screamed and tried to support him under his arms as he fell. Wyatt stood temporarily frozen as he watched the scene go by in slow motion. He knew that it would take too long to run the last 100 yards, and so he orbed to his mother's side.

"Leo," Piper cried. "Leo, please."

Wyatt helped Piper to lay Leo on the ground and rolled him to his side. Piper was distraught and blinded by her tears. She stroked his hair and kissed his forehead.

"I love you, Leo. I love you!" she told him as she tried to pull the arrow out. She and Leo had once switched powers, and he was wounded. Her love was what healed him, and she tried in vain to do it once again.

Something caught Wyatt's eye. He looked up to see Keith Lesworth standing over him. A glimmer in the moonlight, and a dagger was thrust into Pipers kidney region.

"No!" Wyatt screamed jumping to his feet. Keith started to shimmer away but Wyatt grabbed him by the collar and threw him down into the water.

"Jay," Keith said with a nervous smile on his face. "I've missed you son."

"I am no son of yours!" Wyatt screamed at his Avatar adoptive father. He was overcome with grief, and suddenly realized the importance of being a twice blessed child. He threw his hands up and lifted Keith up with his telekinesis. Keith dangled in the air, pleading for mercy.

"The council made me do it!" Keith pleaded.

"You came after my brother, and now you kill my parents? Do you think I'm going to let you get away with this?" Wyatt asked.

"Jay, son, lets talk about this!" Keith pleaded.

"My name is Wyatt Haliwell. I am the oldest son of the elder, Leo Wyatt, and the oldest Charmed One, Piper Haliwell. I am the first of the two twice blessed children, and I am not-and never was-a son of yours!" Wyatt said. With a flip of his wrist Wyatt blew Keith into oblivion. He turned back around and knelt between his parents which is where he was now.

The sound of the lapping waves filled his ears and he felt the wind whip through his hair. The taste of his tears mixed with the salty ocean air that clung to his lips. He was at a loss. He didn't know what to do. Chris was in a bad predicament, Phoebe and Valerie had sided with Matt, and Paige was nowhere to be found. He looked up to the skies in search for answers. As if the elders above knew what he was seeking, five orbs of light appeared in front of him. Where there was once only sand stood Chris, Valerie, Paige, Phoebe, and Matt.

"PIPER!" Paige screamed running to her sister. Phoebe was in close pursuit. Chris and Valerie went immediately to Leo's side. Valerie pulled the arrow from his back, and Matt quickly healed him. Leo sat up and looked at his wife.

"Oh God, no," Leo said with tears welling up in his eyes. He pushed Phoebe and Paige aside and his hands glowed with his magic.

"Piper, come on!" Leo was saying. "Piper!" His golden light faded into nothing and he draped himself over her lifeless body. Matt took Paige into his arms and she sobbed openly. The rest of the family stood motionless, dumb with shock.

_**Epilogue**_

Phoebe walked numbly throughout the house putting trash into a plastic bag that she had hooked over her wrist. Paige was in the kitchen washing the dirty dishes with Valerie at her side drying them. Leo, Matt, and the boys sat, exhausted and silent, on the sofa in the conservatory. The funeral was emotionally draining, but the wake was a bit more soothing. All of them though were glad that it was over. They all looked forward to winding down and falling into bed. They all looked in the direction of the foyer when they heard the doorbell ring.

"Who could that be?" Paige asked.

"I'll get it," Phoebe said. She pulled the door open and stood slack jawed at the person staring back at her.

"Hi," she said.

The man didn't respond. He handed her a bouquet of white roses instead. She breathed in the sweet fragrance and looked into his eyes. He took a step forward and wrapped her in his embrace. She melted into his chest and sobbed for the first time since her big sister's death. Being here in his arms made her feel safe and secure once more.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here earlier, but I'm here now. I'm never going to let you go again," Jason said into her hair. Paige, Valerie, Leo, Wyatt, Chris, and Matt all stepped quietly to the conservatory as they shared a tender, long awaited, kiss.

"Have you made a decision?" Matt asked Paige. She was sitting next to him snuggled into the crook of his arm. She looked up and nodded.

"Mrs. Winterbourne refuses to retire unless I go back. She deserves the break, and I really miss teaching at Magic School. I think I will go and run the show again," she told them.

"I think it would be good for you," Matt told her sadly. He still loved Paige, but they were in different worlds now. There was no chance in rekindling their relationship. He was just happy for the time that they got to share together before Piper's death.

"What about you?" Paige asked Leo.

"I don't know. I don't want to leave the kids behind," he answered.

"You won't be leaving us behind, Dad." Wyatt told his father. "We'll have Matt."

"Are you okay with it?" Leo asked Chris.

Chris smiled and looked at his father. A lifetime ago he resented his father for abandoning him to become an elder, but in this life he was full of pride.

"You can always come back whenever you want, or when we need you," Chris told Leo.

"That's against the rules," Leo told his youngest son.

"Since when have you ever followed the rules?" Chris asked laughing.

"Can we go back to the cemetery?" Valerie asked suddenly as she laid her hand on Chris's shoulder.

"Why?" Chris asked perplexed.

"You'll see," She responded smiling at her cousin. "You too, Wyatt."

"Bring these," Phoebe said from the doorway. She handed Valerie the roses. Jason had his arm wrapped around her waist and he smiled warmly at Valerie.

"Hi Princess," he said to Valerie.

"Hi Daddy!" Valerie said hugging Jason's neck. "I'll be back soon, but that will give you and mom some time together."

Valerie took the roses under her arm and held onto both Wyatt and Chris's hands. They orbed away to Pipers grave. Valerie laid her mother's roses next to the hundreds of other flowers that graced the little plot of land. She stood up and wiped the dirt off of her hands onto the sides of her legs.

"Look," she told Chris and Wyatt. She pointed to a tall elm tree that was in the center of the cemetery. Under it, Piper stood smiling with another woman. They waved and motioned for them to come closer.

"I'll stay here," Valerie said as Wyatt and Chris made their way to the tree.

"Mom?" Wyatt asked tearfully.

"It's alright, Sweetie. I'm in a good place now. It was my time; there was nothing you could have done. Let the guilt be washed away, and carry on with your destiny," she told her oldest son. She had a glow surrounding her and her face looked calm and serene. Wyatt couldn't help but to take comfort in her words.

Chris was happy to see his mother one last time, but his eyes were fixed on the woman that she stood with. Her long blond hair was pulled into a ponytail at the base of her neck and her blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

"Alana?" Chris asked.

Alana nodded and smiled at him. She held her hands out, palms facing up, and Excalibur appeared. Wyatt flinched at the sight of the woman and the sword together again.

"I told you I don't want it," Wyatt told her.

"It's okay, Sweetie," Piper told him. "It's not for you."

"What?" Chris asked incredulously.

"I am a Priestess of Avalon. The Lady of the Lake left Excalibur in the care of your mother for her son. You all assumed that it would be Wyatt, because he was the only one at the time. The future that you came back to save was only caused because it did in fact turn up in the wrong hands. The sword was meant for you, my love." Alana told Chris.

Chris was amazed. He stared at the sparkling jewels that were encrusted into the hilt. He dropped to one knee in front of Alana and bowed his head solemnly.

"Take this sword in the name of Avalon. Use it for good and the blessings of the Goddess will always protect you and those you love," she told him. She touched each of his shoulders with the sword.

"Arise, so that I may present you with this gift," Alana told him gently. Chris obeyed and Alana handed the sword, hilt first, over to him. Piper's eyes filled with tears. Wyatt felt a huge weight lift off of his shoulders, and Valerie watched from afar with butterflies in her stomach. Chris stood in shock and looked from his mother to the priestess.

"We have to go now," Piper said hugging each of her boys in turn. "I love you both."

Valerie made her way to the tree as she saw the goodbye's starting to commence. She ran to her Aunt Piper and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"I love you Aunt Piper," she said.

"I love you too, Valerie. Take good care of my boys," Piper said.

"I will," Valerie promised as Piper and Alana faded away. Valerie turned to Chris and grinned.

"Your Majesty," she said teasingly as she bowed her head.

Chris grinned and nodded toward his cousin trying to look distinguished. "Let's go home." he told Valerie and Wyatt.

Chris walked down the hill with Valerie and Wyatt by his side. With Piper gone, the original power of three was diminished. They left their legacy to their children with faith that they would make them proud. The sun shone brightly through the clouds onto their faces, and the wind pushed back their hair. The new beginning of the Charmed Ones had come to light.

72


End file.
